Take My Advice
by L-chan
Summary: MeiLi! No one knows that Meiling writes the advice column for the school paper. What happens when Syaoran writes to her for help? Discontinued.
1. Everyone Needs Hope

L-chan's notes:  I'm writing a MeiLi??  Hoe!!

Disclaimer:  I'm just a CCS fan.  Thank you, CLAMP, for creating these characters.  I apologize for what I've done to them.  (Tomori-kun and Matsuda-sensei are mine.)

Take My Advice

Chapter 1—Everyone Needs Hope

"I swear, the only thing more boring than watching a chess match is writing about one," Li Meiling said as she stared at the blank computer screen.  The fifteen-year-old rifled through her notes as she tried to think of a way to make chess interesting to the readers of Saito Junior High's school newspaper.  The sounds of fingers quickly clacking away on keyboards in the paper's office surrounded her.  _Did everyone else get an easy assignment?  She wondered.  __Why can't I ever get that lucky?_

Mihara Chiharu walked over and took a look at her friend's desk.  "Why on earth do you have so many notes about a chess match?" she asked.

"Well, I had to do something to stay awake," Meiling replied.  "Do you know what it's like to spend three hours watching two boys sit at a table and move little plastic game pieces from one square to another?  I found myself wishing that I was outside watching the grass grow instead."

Chiharu giggled.  "I went to a chess match last year, back when Yamazaki-kun was captain of the team.  I _did fall asleep, and he very politely asked me not to come back.  He said my snoring was too distracting."_

The two girls were still laughing when someone behind them cleared his throat.  Meiling turned around to see Tomori Kioshi, the student editor, frowning at her.  "How's the article coming, Li-san?" he asked dryly.

She showed him her notes.  "It should be very informative," she replied, not mentioning the fact that she hadn't actually started writing the article yet.

"I need it by tomorrow," he said, adjusting his glasses.  _He always knows when I'm behind, doesn't he, she thought.  "It has to go in this edition, because we left the chess club out last week, and I still haven't heard the end of it."_

She sighed.  It was going to be a long night.  "I'm working on it.  I'll take it home if I have to."

"Good."  Tomori moved on to the next desk to pester another one of his writers.

Chiharu looked at Meiling sympathetically.  "You poor thing.  I've finished my article on the swim meet.  Do you want some help?"

_Why can't I report on the boys' swim team?  I'd definitely be able to stay awake for that!   "No, thanks.  I'll do it.  Last week I was able to write my piece about the new salad bar in the cafeteria in one night, so this shouldn't be a problem.  I just wish Tomori-kun would give me something more interesting to write about." _

"That seems like a simple problem compared to mine," Chiharu said, pulling a chair up next to Meiling.  "I still haven't figured out what to get Yamazaki-kun for his birthday.  It's coming up next month.  Between Christmas, birthdays, and our anniversary, I just run out of gift ideas."

Meiling thought about this.  "What if you promised to let him tell his stories without interrupting him?  You could say, 'For one week, I won't clobber you, choke you, drag you away, or accuse you of lying while you entertain everyone with your tall tales.'"

Chiharu laughed.  "That's a pretty good idea, actually.  I don't know if I'll be able to pull it off.  He can get carried away sometimes."

"But just think.  If you can do it, then maybe for your birthday he'll say he won't make fun of your baking or sewing skills.  Why, the two of you might actually learn to be civil to each other!" Meiling joked.

Her friend laughed again, her auburn curls bobbing as she nodded her head.  "I love it!  That's what I'll do.  Thanks, Meiling-chan.  You always have the best advice."  Chiharu picked up her backpack and started toward the door.  "Sure you don't want any help on the chess piece?"  She grinned when she realized her pun.

"Very funny.  I'll be all right.  But if you don't see me in homeroom tomorrow, look for me in here.  I may die of boredom."  Meiling waved as her friend left the office.  She then turned back to her computer and began typing.

An hour later, Meiling printed out her article and looked it over.  She couldn't believe how quickly she'd finished.  Once she'd started writing, the words just poured out.  She twirled a long strand of black hair around her index finger as she read the piece.  "Everyone will want to join the chess team now," she said aloud.  "I made it sound just as exciting as soccer or basketball."

"Very good," a male voice said from the other side of the room.  Meiling stiffened.  _I thought I was alone.  I should have guessed that he'd still be here._

She walked over to Tomori's desk and handed him the pages.  "It _is good," she boasted.  "Can I go home now?"_

"No.  Please sit down, Li-san.  I want to talk to you for a minute."  He walked over to the office door and shut it, turning the knob to engage the lock.  He then pulled the shade down over the door's window.

_What's going on?  Meiling wondered.  __I don't like the looks of this._

Tomori sat down across from her.  "I heard you talking with Mihara-san before," he said, pushing a strand of jet black hair behind his ear.  

She cringed.  "Oh, no, you heard me?  I'm sorry.  I didn't mean to complain about the stories you give me.  I really like being on the paper.  Please don't ask me to quit.  I'll write about every chess match in Tomoeda if you'll just let me stay on."  She was babbling.  She always babbled when she was nervous.

Tomori smiled.  _A smile?  I've never seen him do that__ before, she thought.  "No, that's not what I mean."  Then he laughed.  __Laughing, too?  Is he feeling all right?  "Well, I suppose it is what I mean.  I was actually referring to the little problem you helped her with."_

Meiling tried to remember what she and Chiharu had discussed.  "You mean about her boyfriend's birthday present?"  _What does that have to do with anything?  Uh, oh… "I shouldn't have been gossiping when I hadn't finished my article yet.  It won't happen again."  She gave him her most sincere apologetic expression, the one that always worked on Wei whenever he caught her doing something wrong._

Tomori took off his glasses and rubbed his blue eyes with the back of his hand.  "No, no, no.  Just let me finish, okay?"  She folded her hands in her lap and waited for him to continue.  He put his glasses back on and leaned back in his chair.  "I believe Mihara-san said something about you always giving good advice.  And you said something about always getting stuck with boring assignments, is that right?"

She blushed.  _Darn it, he's got good ears.  "Yes, that's what I said.  But I shouldn't have said that.  It was very unprofessional of me."_

"I know I make things hard around here, and sometimes I forget that we are just a bunch of students writing a silly little school paper.  We shouldn't always be worried about being professional.  We should be having fun, too.  And that's where my idea comes in."  He noticed the confused look on her face.  Her ruby eyes seemed unfocused, and he remembered how long she'd been here already.  He needed to get to the point.  "What would you think about writing an advice column for the paper?"

She blinked.  "What?"

"You are a capable writer, and I think we're wasting your talents on mundane stories."  She perked up at the compliment.  "I know you're bored here, and I'd hate to lose you.  The column would be your only assignment.  No more chess matches, no more cafeteria interviews.  I could give you space to answer five or six letters a week."

An advice column?  _My very own column?  "I don't know," she said slowly.  The idea was still attempting to sink into her exhausted brain.  "Where would the letters come from?"_

"We'll put signs up in the hallways, asking people to write to you with their problems."

Meiling shook her head.  "That's not going to work.  If I said something that someone didn't like, or got a letter about an extremely personal situation, it would make me very uncomfortable.  I'd hate to lose a friend over something like that."

Tomori put his hands together and rested his chin on top of them.  "Hmm, that's a good point."  He thought for a minute.  "Well, we'll just have to make it anonymous.  No one will know that you're the one writing the column."

Actually, it was a pretty good idea.  _And no more chess matches, she thought.  She hadn't been this excited about working on the paper since she first started.  She could see her name in big bold letters next to a picture of her lovely face.  __Oops, that's not right.  Anonymous means no byline and no picture.  "So, if they're not writing to me, who are they writing to?"_

"Who do you want to be?"

She tried to come up with a clever name.  _Lily?  No, that's stupid.  Ruby?  They'd know it was me.  "What about… Hope?" she said.  "Everyone needs hope."_

"Hope," he repeated.  "'Everyone needs hope.'  I like that.  Very good, Li-san."

She blushed again.  He'd actually complimented her a couple of times now.  Things were looking up.  "Okay, so they'll write to Hope.  Now what?"

"Now, we need to let people know about the column."  He walked over to the supply cabinet and pulled out several large sheets of posterboard in all different colors.  "Grab a marker.  If we can get these up tonight, we might have letters in time for next week's edition."

Meiling sighed.  So much for going home anytime soon.  She'd better call and let Wei know she was going to be even later than she'd told him.  "Can I use your phone for a minute?"

She dialed the number and listened to the phone in her apartment ring.  "Hello?  This is the Li residence," a female voice answered.

Meiling stared at the phone stupidly.  _Am I so tired that I dialed the wrong number?  "Who is this?"_

"Meiling-chan?  This is Sakura."

Sakura?  _Why is Kinomoto-san answering my phone?  "Where are Wei and Syaoran?" she asked cautiously.  The tone in her voice suggested that Sakura must have killed them and buried their bodies under the slide in Penguin Park._

"They're in the kitchen making dinner.  Did you need something?"

_No, I just called to see what everyone was doing, she thought sarcastically.  "Could you tell Wei I'll be home late?  I'm working on something for the paper."_

"Okay.  We'll see you later!" Sakura chirped.

_We?  Meiling thought as she hung up the phone.  These days it seemed like Sakura lived at their apartment.  Ever since she and Syaoran had started going out, the two were joined at the hip.  Not that Meiling was jealous.  __Okay, so maybe I have a little crush on my cousin.  Well, who wouldn't?  But it wasn't that kind of jealousy.  Seeing them together just reminded Meiling that she was alone._

She sighed as she pushed those thoughts out of her mind and got to work on the posters.  She uncapped a blue marker and began copying down the sentences Tomori had drafted on a sheet of paper.  "Tomori-kun," she said, "how exactly is this going to work?  How will I get the letters?"

He looked up from his poster.  "Well, I hadn't thought about that.  No one can know who you are.  Not even anyone on the staff.  Just you and me.  I'll have to get the letters to you somehow without anyone knowing."  He tapped the marker against the edge of the desk while he thought.  "Could you give me your locker combination?  I could slip the letters into your locker at the end of the day, and then you can email your finished column to me.  You'll have to send it to my personal email address, not my school account."

That sounded like a good plan.  "Wait a minute.  Don't you have to clear this with our faculty advisor?  Maybe there's some sort of rule we don't know about."  

Tomori shook his head.  "Matsuda-sensei only cares that we stay within our budget and don't print anything pornographic," he said with a roll of his eyes.  "Other than that, he's not really interested in what we do here.  Besides, if the column is a hit, then that can only mean good things for us."

She gave him a modest smile.  "You know, we're assuming that there's even going to be any letters to write a column about."

"Oh, there will be.  At least, there will if we get these posters done.  Keep working, Li-san." 

Thirty minutes later, the desk was covered with colorful signs.  Tomori shuffled through them, nodding as he looked them over.  "Good.  Very good.  Now, grab a roll of tape, and let's get them up."  He grinned at her.  "Then you can go home."

_Got a Problem? Need Advice?_

_Write to Hope at the Saito Student Weekly_

_Because Everyone Needs Hope!_

~~-~~

I'm sorry there's not much going on in this first chapter.  I'm just setting up the story.  You'll see Syaoran, Sakura, Tomoyo, and anyone else I decide to throw in as the story moves along.  Thanks for reading!  


	2. The Word is Out

L-chan's notes:  Thanks to everyone who reviewed the first chapter.  Now that I have your attention ^.^ I'll explain a little more about this story.  Now, I adore S&S, but I thought this idea would work better as a MeiLi.  You have been warned.  Plus, Meiling has gotten the short end of the stick in my other stories, so I owe her.  For the plot, I'm using the anime series as background, but I'll *tweak* some details as needed for my story to work.  For example, Meiling and Syaoran never went back to Hong Kong, and Meiling's feelings for Syaoran are more friendly than romantic (for now, anyway ^.~).    

Disclaimer:  See Chapter 1.

Take My Advice

Chapter 2—The Word is Out

"I'm home," Meiling announced wearily as she stepped out of her shoes and into her red slippers.  (A/N:  There's no place like home…) 

"Welcome home, Meiling-sama," Wei greeted.  "Why don't you go change while I set out dinner for you?"

"No, thank you, Wei.  I'm not really hungry.  I think I'll just do my homework and go to bed."  The long afternoon had finally caught up to her, and she was too tired to do much of anything, even eating what was surely a delicious dinner.  She could have just collapsed in the doorway and enjoyed a peaceful rest on the cold floor, but her math and history assignments would not be ignored. 

She walked past the living room on her way to her bedroom.  Syaoran and Sakura were curled up on the sofa, watching television.  "Hi, Meiling-chan," Sakura said in a chipper voice that made Meiling feel even more tired.  "Want to watch this movie with us?"

The last thing she wanted to do, even considering her homework, was to watch some sappy movie with her cousin and his girlfriend.  "I would, but I've got a date with some good-looking algebraic equations and a few semi-famous dead guys," she answered glibly, holding up her heavy backpack.  "It's going to be quite the party."

"Want some help?" Syaoran asked, taking his brown eyes off the television long enough to glance at her.

"If I need you, I know where to find you," she said with a dismissive wave as she continued to her room.  "Good night."

Syaoran kept his eyes focused on the spot where Meiling had been standing.  _Is something wrong?  He wondered.  __She never passes up television in favor of homework.  He looked at the clock and was surprised to see that it was almost eight.  __How much time is she devoting to that newspaper?  No wonder she looked so tired._

"Something wrong, Syaoran-kun?" Sakura asked, snapping his attention back to her.

He shook his head.  "I just realized how late it was."

Sakura laughed.  "Is that my cue to leave?" she asked, pulling away from him and stretching her arms over her head.

"Well, you probably should go home before your father forgets what you look like," he teased.  She spent almost every evening at his place, where they could study or relax without being interrupted by her overprotective brother or her self-centered guardian beast.  They'd fallen into a comfortable routine of studying, eating dinner, and watching television together, with some more enjoyable diversions mixed in to keep things interesting.  "Want me to walk you home?"

"No, thanks," she said with a toss of her honey-colored hair.  "It's dark enough.  I'll just use 'Fly'."  She stood up and stretched again, then leaned down to give him a quick kiss.  "See you tomorrow," she whispered, ruffling his messy brown hair.

"See you tomorrow," he echoed as she picked up her bag and walked to the front door, saying good night to Wei as she let herself out.

Syaoran snapped off the television and wandered into the kitchen, where he found Wei making up a tray for Meiling.  "I'll take that to her," he said.  He carried the tray in one hand and walked to Meiling's room, rapping his quick double-knock on her door.

"Brought you some dinner," he said when she appeared.  "You know Wei doesn't like us to skip meals.  Make a show of eating it, anyway."

She took the tray from him and set it on her desk.  "It does look pretty good.  And I haven't eaten anything since lunch."

Since she left her door open, he assumed he was invited in.  He plopped down on her bed and watched her as she began wolfing down the food.  "Why were you so late?" he asked.

"Paper," she mumbled between big mouthfuls of rice.

"That's usually just an hour after school.  What were you doing there until seven?"

She looked at him suspiciously.  "Why, are you writing a book?"  She washed the rice down with a big gulp of tea and wiped her mouth on the napkin.

He rolled onto his back and stared up at the ceiling.  "I just wonder if you're taking on too much.  Can you handle schoolwork and the newspaper?"

"Why not?" she snapped.  "You can handle schoolwork, the soccer team, your training, and a girlfriend.  Oh, and you get to have magic, too.  Can't I have one thing that's mine?  Something I'm good at?  Something I'm proud of?"

He wasn't expecting her to be so defensive.  "What I meant was—"

"I don't care what you meant.  Leave me alone.  I need to study now."

"Fine."  He stood up and left the room.  He'd almost shut the door behind him when she stopped him.

"Syaoran."

"What?"

"I'm sorry."  She sighed.  "I'm just really tired, and I have a lot to do.  I didn't mean to take it out on you."  Actually, she'd been in a good mood in spite of her exhaustion until she got home.  What was it that had upset her?  

"It's okay," he answered.  "Are you sure you don't want some help with the algebra?"

"If I do, I'll ask."

"Okay."  He shut the door, and she heard him cross the hall to his own room.

Meiling returned her attention to her math book.  She tried to concentrate on the problems, but the numbers swirled around in front of her weary eyes.  And she still had to read the history assignment.  She poured herself another cup of tea and prepared for a long night.

***

The next day, Saito Junior High was buzzing with the news about the paper's newest feature.  With posters in every hallway, it was impossible not to know about "Hope" and her advice column.    

Meiling's friends were all talking about it during the lunch break.  "I'm telling you, I don't know anything about this," Chiharu replied to everyone's questions.  "What about you, Meiling-chan?"

Meiling knew this would happen, so she was able to lie easily.  "I don't know anything, either." 

Yanagisawa Naoko wouldn't let them get away with that.  "You two are on the paper, and you don't know?"  As much as she loved a good mystery, Naoko liked knowing the answer better.

"Nope," Meiling answered.  "I guess Tomori-kun will tell us all about it at our next meeting."

"I think it's a great idea," Chiharu said.  "I wish I had thought of it.  I think it would be fun to write an advice column."

"I'll bet it's a lot of work," Sasaki Rika responded.  "I feel sorry for whoever has to answer those letters.  Who knows what kinds of serious problems people might have?  I know I couldn't handle the pressure of trying to tell people the right thing to do."

"Oh, now, Rika-chan," Daidouji Tomoyo said, "someone like you could never give bad advice.  You're one of the most mature and sensible people I know."

"I don't know about that," Rika replied, blushing, and the subject of Hope was dropped as everyone teased Rika for being so modest.

Meiling sighed with relief that the topic was closed, but the huge responsibility of giving advice finally dawned on her.  _This is going to be harder than I thought.  Not only do I have to keep it a secret, but Sasaki-san is right.  Am I going to be able to really help people?  _

She was usually a very confident, self-assured girl, never one to back down from a challenge, but her enthusiasm for the project waned throughout the day as more doubts plagued her.  _What if I can't handle it?  What if they find out who I am?  What if I ruin someone's life?  _

After the final bell, Meiling walked slowly to the newspaper office for the daily meeting.  She was the last one to arrive, and the room was filled with chattering students.  Tomori was standing on his chair, waving his arms, trying to get everyone's attention.

"Let's settle down, gang.  Remember, the later we start, the later you leave."

Everyone immediately stopped talking.

"Thank you.  Now, I need to make a few staff changes before handing out this week's assignments.  Amagawa-kun, I need you on the layout team.  Masuko-san, I think you're ready to join the writing staff.  And, Li-san, I'm putting you in charge of distribution."       

Meiling opened her mouth to protest, but Tomori stopped her with a look that said they'd discuss it later.  He continued the meeting by giving the writers their story assignments and deadlines.  "I think that's everything.  Any questions?"

Chiharu raised her hand.  "Who's Hope?"  This set everyone buzzing again, and Tomori clapped his hands to quiet them.

"Thank you for reminding me, Mihara-san.  I'm sure you've all noticed the signs for our newest feature, but I'm afraid I can't tell you much more than you already know.  Yes, we are going to add an advice column beginning next week.  However, to protect the privacy of both 'Hope' and those who write to Hope, the column will be anonymous."  It was obvious that this answer satisfied no one, but Tomori refused to say anything more.  "That's all I've got for today.  The layout team needs to stay, but the rest of you are free to go."

Meiling watched as most of the students left the room and those remaining sat down at their computers to prepare the paper for printing.  She pulled up a chair in front of Tomori's desk and waited while he gave the layout team instructions for arranging the stories, pictures, and advertisements.

He sat down across from Meiling and removed his glasses, closing his blue eyes and rubbing them with his index fingers.  "I know what you're going to say."

"Do you?  I thought you said—"

He put a finger to his lips, reminding her to keep her voice down.  "I know.  But I can't have you doing nothing.  It would be a dead giveaway if you never did anything around here.  So I gave you the easiest job I could think of.  All you have to do is get here early on mornings when the paper comes out, set aside enough copies for each homeroom, and then help pass them out."

It did seem easy enough.  "But what if someone asks why I'm not writing anymore?"

He chuckled.  "Tell them I got tired of you complaining about the stories I assigned."  He slid his glasses back on and checked his watch.  "I've got to meet with Matsuda-sensei now.  If you need to ask me anything else, you should email me.  And remember, be here bright and early tomorrow.  We've got a lot of papers to count out."

_Getting up early?  How am I ever going to pull that off?_  But she nodded.  "I'll be here."

"Good."  He stood up, grabbing a notebook and pen.  "Oh, make sure you stop by your locker before heading home," he said with a wink as he left the room.           

_Who does he remind me of?_  Meiling wondered as she spun the combination for her locker.  _He's usually so serious, but sometimes_…  "What in the world?"  Sitting on top of her books was a large envelope with her name written in bold strokes.  She peeked inside and saw two smaller envelopes.  _Could it be?  Already?_  

~~-~~

Still not much going on.  Sorry!  But we got a glimpse of Syaoran's relationships with Sakura and Meiling, and Meiling's feelings about this project.  I think you've seen all the familiar faces now, but I haven't decided if Eriol will be around or not.  Anyway, I hope to start moving things along with the next chapter.  For some reason I really got stuck on this part, so I'm ending it a bit prematurely.  Thanks for reading! 


	3. Planting Seeds

L-chan's notes:  It may be obvious at this point that I know very little about how a school newspaper is produced (I was on the yearbook staff ^.^; ).  And it may seem too soon for Meiling to receive letters, but since Sakura always wrote to Kaho during recess, I thought other girls might carry stationery around as well.  Anyhoo, enough rambling and on with the story.  As always, thanks for reading and reviewing.    

Disclaimer:  See Chapter 2.

Take My Advice

Chapter 3—Planting Seeds

Syaoran stuffed his soccer cleats into his gym bag and slammed his locker shut.  _I should have had that goal.  It was a perfect shot, he thought.  Even though it was just an afternoon practice, he felt like he'd let the team down.  And he hated letting himself down.  His competitive nature never let him be satisfied with less than perfection.  That was what made him such a good player._

What bothered him even more was the fact that the coach had overtly and overly praised his arch nemesis.  Well, maybe that was a bit overdramatic.  _But if my life were a manga series, he would definitely be my nemesis._

As if on cue, he heard the tormentor calling him.  "Oh, Li-kun!"

Syaoran turned around with a scowl.  "What do you want, Hiiragizawa?"

The blue-eyed boy smiled.  "Good practice today," Eriol replied.

_Just rub it in.  "Yeah," Syaoran grunted.  He slung his bag over his shoulder.  "Well, see you."_

Unfortunately, Eriol chose not to take the hint and followed Syaoran out of the building.  "Going home?"  Syaoran grunted again.  "Where's the lovely Sakura-san?"

Syaoran glared at Eriol.  "You never give up, do you?"

Eriol had that annoying, knowing smile on his face.  "Now, Li-kun, I'm just worried about you.  It's unusual to see one of you without the other.  Don't tell me there's trouble in paradise."  He put a finger on his chin as if in deep thought.  "Although, that would explain why your game was off today."

_Of all the days to leave my sword at home.  "Why are you so interested?  Don't you have your own life?"_

"Two, so far," Eriol joked.  His cute little descendant was not amused.  "So, where is she?"

"Shopping with Daidouji," Syaoran finally answered, hoping his creepy, evil ancestor would buzz off now that his curiosity had been appeased.

"Too bad."  Eriol stopped at the intersection and turned toward the right.  "I'm afraid this is where I must leave you."

"Too bad," Syaoran mimicked sarcastically.

Eriol looked at him, his eyes round with mock concern.  "Poor, brave Li-kun, trying so hard to hide your pain," he said with a dramatic sigh.  "Just remember, you can always come to me."  He made a little bow and walked away.  

"Jackass," Syaoran muttered.  But as he continued home, Eriol's words kept bothering him.  _Trouble in paradise?  Why would he say that?  Syaoran shook his head.  __Why does he do anything__?  To torture me, that's why.  _

Even so, that didn't stop the thought from niggling at the back of his mind.  _Things with Sakura are great, right?  Of course they are.  So why do you feel like something's missing?  He stopped in his tracks when he realized what he was thinking.  __Damn Hiiragizawa!_

***

Meiling sat at her desk and stared at the large envelope in her hands.  She felt a funny little tingle of nervousness.  _My first letters.  This is it.  It's really happening.  I hope I know what I've gotten myself into._

She pulled the two smaller envelopes out and sat them on the desk.  One was a pretty pink with a nadeshiko flower in the corner, and the other was yellow with two little rabbits.  _Letters from girls, she guessed.  She was relieved.  __I can relate to girls' problems.  Besides, boys wouldn't be interested in this kind of thing anyway._

She opened the pink envelope and read the short note.

_"Dear Hope,_

_I have been dating a very nice boy for almost a month now, but so far, he hasn't tried to kiss me, or even hold my hand!  I really like him a lot and want him to kiss me, but maybe he doesn't feel the same way.  What should I do?_

_Signed,_

_Waiting"_

She grinned.  That was easy.  She jotted a quick sentence on a sheet of paper before opening the yellow envelope.

_"Dear Hope,_

_I am fourteen, but my parents won't let me date yet.  My friends all have boyfriends, and I feel left out.  There's a boy I like, and I think he likes me, too.  How can I convince my parents that I'm old enough to date?_

_Signed,_

_Home Alone"_

Meiling wrapped a strand of her raven hair around her finger as she read the words again.  It wasn't a hard problem.  She knew what she would answer.  It was the "Home Alone" part that got to her.  _That's how I feel, she thought.  __Left out.  _

She thought about her friends.  Sakura had Syaoran.  Chiharu had Yamazaki.  Boys were always asking Rika and Tomoyo out, even though they never accepted.  And even Naoko, who was more interested in books than boys, had been invited to several school functions lately.  They were all perfectly happy with their social lives.

_But what about me?  She wondered.  She'd never had a date, or even an offer.  __I'm pretty, aren't I?  I'm nice.  I'm smart, but not a brain.  Is there something wrong with me?_

The truth was that boys were intimidated by Meiling.  She was willful and outspoken.  She was more athletic than most of them, and they knew that with her martial arts training, she could seriously hurt them if they made a wrong move.  Or worse, her cousin would beat the living daylights out of them.  What Meiling didn't know was that any boy who even considered approaching her immediately received a death glare from a protective Syaoran.  

_Well, not having a boyfriend isn't the end of the world, she tried to convince herself.  __But it sure would be nice to have someone who cared about me, like Syaoran cares about Kinomoto-san.  She pushed her selfish thoughts aside and started drafting responses to the letters._

She heard the front door open.  "I'm home," Syaoran called.  She noticed that she'd left her bedroom door open.  She quickly hid the letters in her desk drawer and was sliding it shut when he appeared in her doorway.  "Where's Wei?" he asked her.

"He's visiting Mihashi-san.  She hasn't been feeling well," she answered.  "Where's Kinomoto-san?"

Syaoran rolled his eyes.  Was everyone going to ask him that?  "She went shopping with Daidouji.  Something about a fabric for a dress."  He made talking motions with his hands.  "I wasn't really listening.  You know how Daidouji gets."  He noticed that Meiling was sitting at an empty desk.  "Done with your homework already?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm hoping that if I ignore it, it will just go away."

"I wish that would work with Hiiragizawa," he muttered.  He glanced down at his gym clothes.  "Let me get a quick bath, and then we'll work on it together, okay?"  She nodded, and he turned to go to his room.

_I guess the letters will have to wait, she thought with a sigh.  __Rotten homework.  She grabbed her backpack and went into the dining room.  She pulled out her books and stacked them neatly, then arranged her pens and pencils in a perfect square.  Anything to keep from actually doing any work._

A few minutes later, Syaoran poked his head around the corner.  "Hard at work?"

"Shhh," she hissed.  She was trying to balance her pencil on the end of her finger.  "I've almost got it."  The pencil fell, bouncing on the edge of the table before landing on the floor.  "See what you made me do?"

"Sorry."  He dropped his bag and sat down next to her.  "So, what's your pleasure?  Math?   Biology?"

"What are my other choices?"  Not wanting to even think about Monday's biology exam, she opened her algebra book.  "You know, we're never going to use this stuff."         

"So you keep telling me."  He turned his book to the assigned page.  "Let's do the first five problems, and then we'll compare answers, okay?"  She agreed, and they both got to work.  Syaoran finished quickly and went over the problems again, satisfied with his answers.  It was all so simple, really.  So neat and logical.  He couldn't understand how anyone could have trouble with algebra.  

Well, Meiling was having trouble.  He watched as she continued scribbling with her pencil, her nose wrinkling in concentration.  Then she frowned and vigorously rubbed her eraser against the page.  He couldn't help smiling at the funny expressions she made while she worked.  She tilted her head and stuck out her tongue as she examined her answers before setting her pencil down with a sigh.  "Done?" he asked.  She nodded.  "What did you get for the first problem?"

"Forty-two?"  Syaoran shook his head.  "But it's the meaning of life!  It has to be right!"  Meiling checked her answer against his.  "It's thirty-six?"  She pointed to his paper.  "Why did you do that?"

"That's how you get all your variables on one side of the equation.  Look."  He scooted closer to her so he could go through the problem step by step, showing her where she'd made a mistake.  She tried to listen to what he was saying, but instead she was overwhelmed by his nearness.  _Wow, he smells really good, she thought, __all fresh and clean and soapy.  His hair was still a little damp, and she had an urge to rub a wet strand between her fingers.  She'd even started to lift her hand when she realized what she was doing.  __What am I thinking?  What's wrong with me?_

"Understand?"

She had no idea what he'd just said, but she nodded anyway.  She erased her answer and copied his work, keeping her head low so he wouldn't see her pink cheeks.  She moved away from him subtly until she was on the edge of her chair.  _I'm so pathetic.  Am I so lonely that I'll drool over any boy within fifty feet of me?  Even my own cousin?_

They went over the rest of the problems, and he helped her correct three of them, explaining the answers in detail.  By some miracle or accident she'd actually done one correctly.  Then they got to work on the last five equations.  She was determined to concentrate on her work and ignore the boy sitting so close to her.  She scribbled and erased and scribbled again, punching her calculator and counting on her fingers until she was sure her answers were right.

"How'd you do?"  Syaoran glanced at her paper and compared it with his.  "You got them all right.  See, I knew you could do this."  

"Only because you explained it to me.  Now it makes sense."

He shook his head modestly.  "You're a smart girl, Meiling.  Soon you'll be explaining math to me."  He grinned at her.

Her heart flipped, and her ruby eyes widened when she felt her reaction to his smile.  _Why am I acting this way?      _

"Want to start on the review sheet for the biology exam?" he asked, looking at her with his big brown eyes.  She didn't answer.  "Meiling?"

It was like she was frozen.  She just stared at him.  Suddenly the phone rang, breaking her trance.  "I'll get it!" she said, a bit too loudly, before jumping up and running into the living room.

_What is with her? He wondered.  __She's been acting strangely all afternoon._

She reappeared in the doorway, a little more composed.  "That was Wei.  He's going to be late.  Mihashi-san's daughter hasn't come home yet, and he doesn't want to leave her alone."  She smiled slyly.  "I think he's got a crush on her."

Syaoran sighed.  Girls always got so carried away at the slightest possibility of romance.  "So, what about dinner, then?"

"He said he did the shopping earlier and to check the refrigerator.  I'll go see what I can whip up."  She dashed off, almost as if she was relieved to get away from him.

He tried not to think anything of it.  _She'll do anything to avoid homework._

~~-~~

Poor, confused little Meiling!  And it's only going to get worse… ^.~


	4. Study Buddies

L-chan's notes:  I really need to get the timeline on this story sped up.  I spent 3 chapters on just 2 days.  I need to get on with it, ne?  Thanks and big hugs to all of you who reviewed.        

Disclaimer:  See Chapter 3.

Take My Advice

Chapter 4—Study Buddies

Sunday finally came, and Meiling just wanted to lie in bed all day reading _Cutie Magazine and eating junk food.  Her new assignment with the paper was turning out to be tougher than she thought.  Not only did she have to get to school early yesterday to sort papers, but at the end of the day she'd found four more letters for Hope in her locker.  Then there was Syaoran's soccer game, and the ice cream celebration that followed Saito's victory over their biggest rival.  By the time they got home, she'd been too tired to study, so she took a long bath and then fell straight into bed._

_I haven't even started my homework yet.  Maybe I can put it off just a little while longer...._

"Meiling!"  Syaoran's voice accompanied his double-knock on her bedroom door.  "Are you ready yet?"

_So much for resting.  "Almost," she replied, crawling out from under the blankets.  "I'm still getting dressed."  She looked down at her red pajamas.  __Well, technically I am dressed, she thought.  "I'll be out in a minute."_

"Hurry up," he called.  "Sakura's on her way here."

_She is?  Oh, no, that's right.  He'd told her last night that Sakura was coming over to study with them.  She grabbed her cell phone and punched number three on the speed-dial.  __Please be home, please be home...._

"This is Daidouji," Tomoyo's soft voice answered.

"Daidouji-san!  Can you come over?  Please?!"

"Meiling-chan?"

"Kinomoto-san is coming over to study for the biology exam with me and Syaoran, and I don't want to be the odd one out.  Please, _please say you can come."  Meiling didn't know why it bothered her so much that Sakura would be there, or even more so, why it would bother her if Sakura and Syaoran started acting cute with each other.  She just didn't think she could put up with it alone._

"Well," Tomoyo replied slowly, "Hiiragizawa-kun is coming here to study with me.  Can he come along?"

_Syaoran won't like that, Meiling thought, __but too bad for him.  "Yeah, sure, whatever.  Just please get here as soon as you can!"  She hung up and tossed the phone onto her bed.  _

She was scrambling in her closet for something to wear when she heard the doorbell ring.  _It's just as well, she thought.  __The longer I spend in here, the less time I have to spend out there with them.  She buttoned up her green blouse and tucked it into her black jeans, then brushed her glossy raven hair and left it hanging loose down her back.  When she was convinced that she looked presentable, and that she couldn't spend any more time in her room without appearing rude, she picked up her books and headed for the dining room._

Sakura and Syaoran were already sitting at the table, their heads close together as they shared some sort of secret.  They didn't seem to notice her.  "Ahem."  Meiling cleared her throat loudly as she dropped her books on the table with a thud.  Syaoran jumped and scowled at her, but she just gave him saccharine smile.  "How's the studying going?" she asked. 

"We didn't want to start without you, Meiling-chan," Sakura answered cheerfully, completely missing the sarcasm in Meiling's voice.  Syaoran, however, didn't miss it, and he continued frowning at his cousin.

"That's nice of you," Meiling said as she pulled out the chair on the other side of Syaoran.  "Oh, by the way, I invited Daidouji-san, too, so she and Hiiragizawa-kun will be here soon."  She didn't like the way Syaoran was looking at her, but she didn't know if it was because she had interrupted his private time with his girlfriend, or because she had invited Eriol to study with them.  _I'd say it's a little bit of both._

_Something is definitely wrong with her, Syaoran thought as Meiling and Sakura started talking about the test.  __Why is she acting like this?  I know she likes Sakura, so she must be mad at me.  What did I do? _

Wei walked in with a tray of glasses and a pitcher of lemonade.  "I thought you might like some refreshment while you studied," he said.  "There's more in the refrigerator.  Unless you need anything else, I'll be off."

Syaoran shook his head.  "We're fine, thanks.  Go on ahead."

They heard voices when Wei opened the front door to leave.  A few moments later, Tomoyo and Eriol appeared in the dining room.  Tomoyo was holding a cake box, and Eriol had brought a large pizza.  "Let the party begin!" Eriol joked.

"Pizza!  You guys are my heroes!  Let's eat!"  Meiling opened the flat square box and reached for a cheesy slice.

"Meiling…" Syaoran began.

"You can't expect me to study on an empty stomach.  Food first, then homework."  She closed her ruby eyes and sighed in delight as she wrapped her tongue around the gooey cheese.

_This wouldn't happen if she didn't sleep through breakfast.  "I'll get some plates," Syaoran mumbled in defeat.  When he came back from the kitchen, the pizza was almost gone.  A lonely, slightly mangled slice remained.  "Thanks for saving me some."_

"You're welcome," Sakura answered, the sarcasm once again going straight over her pretty little head.  She was sitting next to Eriol, or, rather, Eriol was sitting next to her, which normally would have made Syaoran glare at his ancestor.  Oh, he tried, but he just couldn't put any enthusiasm behind it.  _Maybe I'll feel like it after I eat, he thought, grabbing the last slice of pizza before Meiling could claim it._

"Are we ready to start?" Tomoyo asked, getting down to business by pulling out her review sheet.  "What should we go over first?"

Meiling looked at the list.  "I have the most trouble with muscle groups.  Can we start there?"

Eriol stood up and grinned.  "I'm so glad to be done with frogs.  Human anatomy is much more interesting.  Now, I think it would be helpful if we had a visual aid.  Sakura-san, will you be our model?"

"Hoe?"  She had a confused expression on her face as Eriol pulled her out of her chair.

"Stand here, like this.  That's good."  He moved her arms and legs, posing her like a living doll.

Syaoran glared at him, really glared this time, as Eriol kept touching Sakura.  "You never give up, do you?"  Apparently not, because Syaoran said this to Eriol at least once a day.  

Eriol turned to his descendant with that creepy, secret smile of his.  "And you don't see it yet, do you?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"All in due time, Li-kun.  All in due time."  Eriol's blue eyes held that glint of knowledge that always made Syaoran nervous.

_What the hell is he talking about? Syaoran wondered as they began the review, with Eriol pointing to a muscle on Sakura's body and everyone else trying to name it.  __Is it something about Sakura?  Is it about me?  Is it about us?  Or is he just tormenting me again?  That's it.  That has to be it.  That little—_

"Li-kun."

Syaoran was pulled from his thoughts by Eriol's amused voice.  "What?"

"You're not paying attention.  Do you know all this already?"  Eriol was pointing to Sakura's upper arm.

Syaoran glanced at Meiling's notes.  She tapped her pencil near the answer.  "Biceps brachii," he said.  

"And?"

"Triceps brachii."

"Very good.  Now, turn around, please, Sakura-san."

The continued by identifying the muscles of the back, and it seemed like Tomoyo didn't even need to study.  Both Syaoran and Meiling had to keep looking at their notes, but Tomoyo never got one wrong.  Sakura had the hardest time, trying to name something she couldn't even see, having to rely on Eriol's prompts instead.

"You're not getting the full benefit of this, are you, Sakura-san?  Maybe I should have you identify my muscles next," Eriol said to her with a little wink.

"Oh, please," Syaoran muttered as he rolled his eyes.  "That's got to be the cheesiest line he's come up with yet."

Meiling giggled.  "I swear, the size of his ego is only surpassed by… well, by the vastness of the universe.  _Maybe."  The cousins shared a smile at the expense of their arrogant ancestor._

"Excellent, Daidouji-san," Eriol was saying, seemingly oblivious to the comments of his descendants.  He gestured toward Sakura's behind.  "Now, what's this called?" 

"Hiiragizawa," Meiling whispered to Syaoran.

Tomoyo heard it, too, and she put a hand over her mouth in shock.  "Oh, my."

Syaoran had a hand over his mouth as well, but for a different reason.  "Oh, look, we're out of lemonade.  I'll be right back."  He ran into the kitchen and grabbed hold of the counter, his shoulders shaking from silent laughter.  He couldn't hold it in for long.  He laughed until tears started streaming from his brown eyes.  

Sakura came in to check on him and saw him wiping his eyes on a towel.  "Are you okay, Syaoran-kun?" she asked, concern in her voice.

"She called him an… an…"  He started laughing again, but Sakura didn't get it.  "Never mind.  The lemonade's in the fridge.  Can you… can you get it for me?"  He was afraid he would drop the pitcher if he couldn't stop laughing.  "Go ahead.  I'll just be a minute."

She found the pitcher and added a little ice.  "Are you sure you're all right?"

She still looked worried, so he nodded.  When she left, he started snickering again.  _She doesn't understand.  But Meiling does.  Meiling gets it.  _

Sometimes he wished Sakura were a little more like Meiling.  Sakura had a fine sense of humor, but it just wasn't wicked enough, so sarcasm and pointed jabs never made it through to her.  But he and Meiling could match sarcastic quips all day long without either one of them missing a beat.  They used to have some great insult contests when they were kids.

He and Sakura got along great, but she didn't understand him like Meiling did.  More than anyone, Meiling understood what he had to go through.  She knew the demands of his training, the expectations of his family.  He was so grateful when her mother had let her stay in Japan with him.  They were each other's link to home.  He needed her.

Syaoran realized the direction that his thoughts were taking, and he wondered why he was comparing his girlfriend to his cousin like that.  _After all, Meiling could benefit from some of Sakura's qualities as well.  She was so boisterous, and she seldom thought before she spoke.  __And, let's face it, she's got quite an ego herself.  _

"Syaoran?"  He turned around and saw Meiling grinning at him.  "I hope you didn't hurt yourself."

"Yeah, but it was worth it."

Meiling sidled up to him.  "Want me to examine your muscles?" she asked, imitating Eriol's low drawl and giving him an exaggerated wink.

Syaoran lost it again.  He crossed his arms over his stomach as he laughed.  "Stop it!  I can't breathe!"

"Sorry."  She opened the cake box that Tomoyo had brought.  "Mmm, strawberry."  She pulled a knife out of the drawer and began cutting large slices.  "Want some?"

"No, thanks.  I'll probably choke on it."  If Eriol didn't say something that made him gag, then Meiling would say something to make him laugh.  Either way, it would be best if he stayed away from food for the rest of the afternoon.

"More for me, then!"  She arranged the slices on a pretty cake plate, then grabbed some forks and carried the plate out of the kitchen.

When he thought he had finally composed himself, Syaoran returned to the dining room.  He sat down between his two best friends, feeling a little guilty for comparing them.  It was their differences that made them each so special to him.  Then he smiled as Meiling and Sakura began fighting over the biggest piece of cake.  _Well, maybe they aren't so different after all._

~~-~~

I hope you don't think I was Sakura-bashing in this chapter.  It just kinda came out that way.  I know I said things were going to get more confusing for Meiling, and for Syaoran, too, and that's coming up.  I have no idea how long this story is going to be.  And for those of you who liked Tomori-kun, he's not out of the picture yet.  Stick around—it's about to get interesting.  


	5. Crouching Wolf, Hidden Lotus

L-chan's notes:  I promised things would start to get interesting.  I hope this lives up to the hype.  And, no, I haven't forgotten what my summary says.  That will happen eventually.  Maybe after this chapter you'll see where I'm going.  Hope you enjoy it!  Thanks, as always, for reviews, comments, and chocolate pudding snacks.

Disclaimer:  See Chapter 4.

Take My Advice

Chapter 5—Crouching Wolf, Hidden Lotus

Once again, Meiling found herself staring at a blank computer screen.  _This happens every time, she thought, twirling her hair around her index finger.  __Why is it so hard to get started?  It's all about that first word.  If I just had one word to start from, the rest would write themselves._

Tomori had emailed her yesterday to remind her of her deadline.  _I need your column by Wednesday night, he'd written.  __I'll need time to edit it before it can be given to layout._

She'd procrastinated by writing him back.  _I have ten letters, she'd typed.  __What do you want me to do?_

_Answer them all, he'd replied.  __I'll choose the ones I think are the best.  Now, get to work, Li-san._

"He thinks he's so smart," she muttered as she arranged the letters on her desk.  But here it was, Wednesday afternoon, and she was just getting started.  She didn't know what aggravated her more—that he assumed she was goofing off, or that he was right.

"Okay, here we go," she said, poising her fingers over the keys.  And just like that, inspiration struck.  She clicked and clacked away.  In no time at all, she had typed in all of the letters.  "There, now it looks like I've done something.  Time for a break."

She went to the kitchen and poked around in the refrigerator, searching for something to satisfy her sweet tooth.  When Wei went to the market, he never bought enough snacks.  Either that, or she ate them too quickly.  She really craved a piece of Tomoyo's strawberry cake, but that hadn't lasted past Sunday.  "Broccoli, celery, carrots.  Don't we have anything with sugar in it?"  

There had to be something.  She'd devoured her secret stash of chocolate while studying last night, and she hadn't replenished her supply yet.  She went through the cabinets, hoping to find a forgotten box of cookies.  Nothing.  

She went out on the balcony and leaned over the railing.  "I need sugar!"  Some passersby stopped and looked up at the crazy girl on the third floor, but she just stuck her tongue out at them.  That's when she saw it, like a beacon of light in a stormy sky—the ice cream cart across the street.  "I'm saved!"

***

"Cheerleading club."

"Excuse me?"

Syaoran sighed.  "You were going to ask me where Sakura is.  She's with the cheerleading club."  He made sure he had everything he needed from his locker before slamming the door shut.

Eriol grinned.  "Oh, of course."  He followed Syaoran out of the building.  "So, you're going home alone?"

"God willing," the brown-haired boy muttered.

Eriol never was one to take a hint.  He walked alongside his cute descendant as he started toward the apartment.  "You played some great defense today.  Very impressive."

"Thanks."  He tried to remember what Eriol had done during practice.  "Nice passing, by the way."  _Ignoring him doesn't make him go away.  I may as well say something._

"Why, Li-kun, I'm touched.  That you would notice… well, you just don't know how happy that makes me.  It warms the very cockles of my heart."

"Are you making fun of me?"

Eriol feigned shock, turning his face down in a hurt expression.  "Never!  You've wounded me, descendant.  In fact, I may never recover."  He pretended to sulk, looking down at his shoes as he dejectedly dragged his feet along the sidewalk.

_Why do I even bother?  "Oh, shove it up your skinny British—"        _

"Yes, some very good defense," Eriol mused, recovering quickly enough to cut Syaoran off in mid insult.  "And you're going to need it, I'm afraid."

Syaoran forgot his loathing for a minute.  "Why?  Who do we play next?"  He tried to remember the next game on the schedule, but he couldn't remember who their opponent was going to be.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Eriol asked.

Syaoran stopped walking.  "Okay, I'm lost."

His ancestor also stopped and looked at him with a rare serious expression.  "There's someone else."  Eriol used his low, ominous voice to make this pronouncement, which always made the hairs on the back of Syaoran's neck stand on end.

Eriol started walking again, and Syaoran ran to catch up.  "'Someone else.'  What does that mean?"  Eriol's riddles always drove him crazy.  No wonder he and Mizuki-sensei got along so well.  Neither of them could ever just come right out and say something.  It always had to be cryptic and mysterious.

"Just be careful."  Eriol didn't say anything else as he turned right at the next intersection.  "See you later."

"Wait!"  But Eriol just continued on his way home, waving at his descendant over his shoulder.

_Someone else.  As Syaoran walked the last two blocks to the apartment, he tried to figure out what Eriol was telling him.  __Someone else.__  Be careful.  It was vague, and could mean anything, so most likely, it meant nothing.  It was just the latest in a long line of statements issued with the sole purpose of tormenting him.  "He did it again!"  Syaoran clenched his fists.  "Just once, I'd like to clock him good."_

"Talking to yourself is the first sign of insanity, you know."

Syaoran saw Meiling standing in front of their building, finishing a fudge bar.  "You talk to yourself all the time," he said.  

"Then it runs in the family, cousin.  Maybe we're all crazy."  She generously held out the last chocolaty bite of her popsicle to him.  "Want some ice cream?"

He looked disdainfully at the meager offering.  "Gee, I'd hate to spoil my dinner."

She shrugged and licked the remaining fudge from the stick.  "What's wrong with you today?"

The same thing that was wrong with him every day.  He was so fed up with Eriol's constant comments.  For the past week, all he'd heard were ambiguous warnings that something might be wrong.  _But what?  "I just really need to hit something," he answered.  __Preferably something reincarnated with glasses and a smug attitude._

Meiling nodded in understanding.  She'd had days like that, too.  "I see.  Come with me."  She took his hand and led him upstairs.  _Maybe a little physical activity is what I need to get energized.  Then I'll be able to finish my column, not to mention my homework.  They walked into the apartment, and she gave him a little push toward his room.  "Get changed and meet me on the roof.  It's been a while since we worked out together."  _

"But I just came from soccer practice," he complained, tiredly leaning against the doorframe.  "You'll wipe the floor with me."

"So, you get to hit something, and I finally get to beat you.  Sounds like a win-win situation to me."  He didn't move.  "You know, Syaoran, there's no shame in losing to a girl."  He frowned a little.  Then she pulled out her trump card.  "Besides, you should be used to it by now."

She knew that would make him mad.  "You're on.  And don't think I'm going to go easy on you."

Meiling just gave him a confident smile as she closed her bedroom door.  She quickly changed into her training robes and pulled her hair up into a high ponytail.  She looked at her desk, which was still covered with her letters and notes.  _Better put this stuff away, she thought.  She tucked everything into a folder and stashed it in the top drawer._

She went up to the roof, where they usually trained with Wei, and saw that Syaoran had beaten her there.  He was stretching, and when he saw her, he grinned.  "Get warmed up, so at least you will have accomplished something by coming up here."

She raised an eyebrow.  "Oh, so the trash talking is starting already.  Watch out, dear cousin.  I may surprise you."  Meiling went through her warm-up exercises, already feeling much better by getting out in the fresh air and moving about.  _I've really been slacking off lately.  Wei had told her that she was old enough to discipline herself, and it was her responsibility to keep her training up.  She still met with him most of the time, but not as often as she used to.  __I need to start doing better.  If I'm old enough to discipline myself, then I need to do it._

Syaoran stood across from her and got in position.  He planted his feet apart and raised his arms.  "Ready?"

She matched his stance, determination shining in her ruby eyes.  "Ready."

He came toward her, and she blocked his attack.  Then she tried to strike, but he countered her movement.  _Someone else.  Eriol's words popped into his head, breaking his concentration.  Meiling was always a little slow to get started, so he was still able to fight her as his brain went off in a different direction.  __Is Sakura seeing someone else?  Is that why I haven't seen much of her this week?  "Ouch!"_

Meiling raised her fist triumphantly.  "You're not concentrating, Syaoran."

He'd trained most of his life, becoming more skilled and disciplined.  Nothing ever interfered with his concentration.  He wouldn't let it.  "Just a momentary lapse.  It won't happen again."

"Whatever."  She got back into position.  "Ready?"

"Go."

They circled each other and began sparring again.  _I haven't even really missed her.  That's bad, isn't it?  We have fun together, but it's always the same.  But she's a great girl, and I'm... a jerk.  I'm a jerk for thinking like this.  "Dammit!"  He winced and rubbed his shoulder as Meiling looked at him warily._

"Syaoran."  

"That's the last free hit you get."  He closed his eyes and cleared his mind, using every technique he knew of to get his concentration back.  _No more distractions.  "Ready?"_

"Ready."

He used everything he'd ever learned.  He went by reflex, by instinct, knowing every move she was going to make before she did.  They'd trained together for so long that when he was focused, he could sense exactly where she was going.  He matched her strike for strike, blocking her with his arm, his leg, then moving toward her to attack, waiting for the exact moment when she would let her guard down.  He let out all the aggression that he'd bottled up, and when she faltered, he let her have it.

She hit the ground hard.

"Oh, God.  Meiling!"  He knelt down beside her.  She was biting her lower lip, and he could tell she was trying not to cry.  "I'm sorry.  I'm sorry.  Are you okay?"

She nodded, but there were tears in her eyes.  "I'm okay.  Just give me a minute."  She was putting up a brave front, but he could tell she was in pain.

He sat down next to her and put an arm around her.  "I'm sorry.  I didn't mean to hit you so hard."   

"I asked for it."

"No, you didn't."  He hugged her.  "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I said I'm fine!"  She hated when he babied her.  It meant he thought she was weak.  But it did hurt, so she didn't push him away.  Maybe a little attention wasn't so bad.       

"Sorry.  You're fine."  He pulled back and looked at her.  A couple of tears had—without permission, of course—managed to slide down her cheeks, but he could see the strength in her eyes.  He really admired her.  She never let anything beat her, never admitted weakness.

He just sat there, looking at her quietly.  An early evening breeze passed over them, gently rustling their hair.  It was strange, sitting there in silence, looking at each other, like something important was happening.  It started to unnerve him.  He stood up quickly, breaking the spell.  "I brought some water up.  Want some?"

She nodded, and he went to retrieve the bottles.  _Did he feel it too? she wondered.  __It was almost like... like....  She didn't know how to describe it.  Whatever it was, it was gone._

He came back and sat next to her again, but as he drank the water, he kept his eyes on the flower garden one of their neighbors had planted in a box on the other side of the roof.  He'd never felt uncomfortable around Meiling before.  They'd known each other forever.  They knew secrets about each other that they'd never dare tell anyone else.  But now something was different.  When he'd looked at her, he saw something he never saw before.

He saw a girl.  

Not his cousin, not his friend, but a girl.

And it was really, really weird.             

~~-~~

Wai!  You got an update sooner than last time since ff.net was down so long.  (Don't expect that again!)  Can you tell I know nothing about martial arts?  Sorry the fighting description was so generic ^.^; but then that wasn't really the point of the chapter.  I'd debated putting Eriol in the story back at the beginning, because I really didn't know what purpose he'd serve.  Then I realized someone had to know what was going on, so why not him?  So, is the story finally progressing?  I certainly hope so.  Thanks for reading!


	6. Page Three

L-chan's notes:  Last night I watched episodes 69 & 70 again, and now I feel so bad about having to break up S&S in my story!  Oh, well, I'll just have to deal with my guilt ^.^;  Actually, I have no problem with breaking up canon couples, even though many fans are very protective of their favorites.  The only ones I'd (probably) never break up are Chiharu and Yamazaki.  I mean, really, how could you?   

Disclaimer:  See Chapter 5.

Take My Advice

Chapter 6—Page Three

"Good morning, Wei," Meiling said cheerfully as she sat down for breakfast.  

"Good morning, Meiling-sama," he replied, setting a plate in front of her.  "You certainly are full of energy today.  And so early, too."

She knew that was his polite way of saying that she was usually grumpy when she had to get up before seven.  But today the school paper was coming out.  She had to get to school before classes to help distribute them.  Last week, she'd dragged herself there, just barely making it in time.  This week, however, the paper contained her very first column, and she was so excited that she couldn't sleep.

Meiling dug into her breakfast, devouring half of it before stopping to gulp down some juice.  She looked over the rim of her glass at the empty chair across the table.  "Doesn't Syaoran have soccer this morning?  He's going to be late if he doesn't get up soon."

Wei refilled her juice glass as she attacked the rest of her food.  "Syaoran-sama left about twenty minutes ago."

"Oh."  _I thought we could walk to school together.  It seemed like he'd been avoiding her ever since that afternoon on the roof.  __Does he still feel bad about hurting me?  It's all part of the training.  I just need to get back in form again.  _

After she finished eating, she brushed her teeth and tightened the ribbons around her odangos.  She grabbed her backpack as she looked at the clock.  _Oops, is it that late already?  "Thanks for breakfast.  Gotta go!"_

"Have a good day," Wei replied as she rushed out the door.

As always, Meiling was glad that they only lived a few blocks from the school.  Even if she was running a little late, she could enjoy the walk without having to hurry.  _But one of these days I should get some skates or a bicycle.  Then I could get a few more minutes of precious sleep.  She yawned.  Just thinking about sleep made her want to turn back and crawl under the inviting pile of warm blankets.  Waking up early was starting to take its toll on her.  __I don't know how Syaoran can get up so early.  Must be all those years of training._

_Syaoran.  Her thoughts turned to her cousin as she looked up at the cloudless sky.  She was almost glad that he'd been avoiding her.  Lately she'd become even more confused about her feelings for him.  __I've always had a little crush on him, but that's just because we're so close.  We've been together as long as I can remember, thick as thieves.  Of course, I love him.  He's my best friend.  So why do I sometimes feel like… like… like what?_

_Like I wish it were more?_

She shook her head, her black ponytails whipping around her face, as she approached the school.  _Ridiculous.  I'm just lonely, that's all.  She walked into the building and headed for her locker.  She took her time as she put her things away.  The excitement about her column coming out had turned into nervousness.  __Most of the letters written to Hope asked for dating advice.  What do I even know about it?  I guess those who can, do, and those who can't, tell others what to do.        _

When Meiling finally made it to the newspaper office, she found Tomori already hard at work, as usual.  He was going over the calendar of upcoming school events and scribbling notes for those that needed to be covered.  "There you are," he said, sensing her presence without looking up.  "You're late, Li-san."

She checked the clock.  "Ooh, one whole minute.  Punish me."  She'd meant it as a joke, but she blushed when she realized how it sounded.  _Syaoran's right.  I need to think before I speak._

"Maybe later," was his choked reply.  His eyes were still focused on his desk, but she would have sworn he was laughing at her.   She blushed again and hoped he wouldn't notice.  _Maybe if I had more experience with boys, I wouldn't say such stupid things.  He glanced at her and pointed to two tall stacks of papers on the worktable next to his desk.  "Start counting."_

She wanted to search for her column, but he'd just get upset with her for loafing when there was work to be done.  She sighed as she picked up the list of homerooms and began sorting the papers for each class.  _Until I started doing this, I never realized how many students are in this school.  Last week, Tomori had taught her that it was easier to count by fives instead of sorting every single paper.  She quickly turned the large stacks into several smaller stacks and labeled each one with a room number before twisting a thick rubber band around the pages.  "Done," she announced triumphantly.  _

"Really?"  He sounded surprised.  Did he think she couldn't do it right?  

"No, I just wanted to make you look," she muttered, falling back into her standard sarcastic mode.  Some might call it a defense for when she was angry, nervous, or embarrassed, but usually it was just her spunky personality coming through.  

He grinned at her.  "Nice job."  He picked up a box and began tossing in bundles of papers, choosing all those labeled with room numbers ending in "A".  "I'll take the east wing if you'll take the west."

"Fine."  She was still packing hers up when he headed for the door.  She hadn't gotten to ask him about the column yet.  She didn't know what he thought of it.  When she'd emailed it to him, he'd sent back a brief reply to let her know he'd received it, but he didn't say anything else.  _Maybe it's not any good.  Maybe he decided not to run it.  "Tomori-kun?"_

He turned around and winked at her.  "Page three," was all he said.  And then he left.

She never knew what to make of him.  _I don't guess I'll ever understand boys, she thought as she carried her box out of the room._

***        

Meiling sat with Chiharu, Naoko, and Rika during the morning break, each of them holding a copy of the paper.  Their homeroom teacher was particularly strict about letting them read the papers in class, because it resulted in so much chattering among the students, so they always saved them for the break.

"Is that new column in there, Chiharu-chan?"  Rika asked.

"It should be," Chiharu answered.  Naoko opened her mouth to speak, but Chiharu interrupted her before she could say anything.  "And, no, I still don't know who's writing it."

"Boy, you sure were quick to say so," Naoko teased.  "Maybe _you're writing it."_

"If I were, do you think I could keep it a secret?  I'm a terrible liar!"  

"That's why you and Yamazaki-kun make such a great pair," Meiling joked, trying to turn the topic away from Hope's identity.  "He lies enough for the both of you." 

Chiharu rolled her brown eyes, but she laughed along with everyone else.  "Well, let's see what all the fuss is about, shall we?" she said as she looked through the paper.  "Here it is.  Page three. 'Everyone Needs Hope.'"  She read the first letter.  "'Dear Hope.  I have been dating a very nice boy for almost a month now, but so far, he hasn't tried to kiss me, or even hold my hand!  I really like him a lot and want him to kiss me, but maybe he doesn't feel the same way.  What should I do?  Signed, Waiting.'"

"So?  What does Hope say?" Naoko asked.

"'Dear Waiting.  In case you haven't noticed, it's a new millennium.  Girls don't have to wait for boys to make the first move anymore.  He may just be shy or unsure of your feelings.  If you like him, show him!  But start small, with a peck on the cheek or a little handholding.  If you're too aggressive, you may scare him off.'"  Chiharu laughed.  "That's a pretty good answer.  Who wants to read the next one?"

"I will," Meiling said_.  If I act like I haven't seen it, then they won't suspect that I wrote it.  "'Dear Hope.  I am fourteen, but my parents won't let me date yet.  My friends all have boyfriends, and I feel left out.  There's a boy I like, and I think he likes me, too.  How can I convince my parents that I'm old enough to date?  Signed, Home Alone.'"_

"The poor girl," Rika clucked with a sympathetic shake of her dark hair.  

Meiling nodded as if she were hearing this problem for the first time.  "'Dear Alone.  Find other ways to spend time with this boy and get to know him.  Work on a school project together, or, if he plays a sport, go to a game and cheer him on.  Meanwhile, show your parents how responsible and mature you are, and they may eventually reconsider their rules.  Whatever you do, don't whine or beg.  If you act like a child, they'll continue to treat you like one.'"  Tomori had trimmed her answer, which had been a bit long, but her main points were still there.  

Naoko clapped.  "I like that.  Let me read one now."

While the girls were engrossed in the paper, Syaoran was sitting up in his favorite tree, pretending to read the history assignment.  He normally spent breaks with Sakura, but she was off with Tomoyo, working on a sewing project or something.  He'd been too distracted to really listen.  He just knew that she was too busy to sit with him, and he was… relieved.  

He looked across the lawn at Meiling.  Ever since that afternoon on the roof, he'd found himself thinking about her.  As a result, he'd started avoiding her, and Sakura, too.  

He didn't want to think about Meiling, but he couldn't help it.  She seemed different, somehow.  Sure, she was still stubborn, and bossy, and moody.  _And loud, and lazy.  He shook his head and closed his history book with a sigh.  __No, she's exactly the same.  I'm the one who's different.       _

Last night during dinner she'd been telling a story about something funny that happened during music class, and when she'd laughed, he'd noticed the way her eyes sparkled like rubies and her smile lit up her whole face.  _She's really pretty_, he'd thought.  He'd suddenly wondered what it would be like to kiss her.  Then he'd knocked his water glass over as he quickly excused himself from the table and spent the rest of the night hiding in his room.  

He leaned back against the sturdy tree trunk as he watched her now.  He hated feeling like this.  Confused.  Maybe it was normal, his teenage hormones making him think about other girls.  He'd only dated Sakura, only kissed her.  Why shouldn't he be a little curious about other girls?

_That must be it, he thought.  But he wouldn't admit that he wasn't just idly thinking about "other girls".  There was just one "other girl" on his mind._

***

Tomoyo met Meiling at her locker after school.  "Would you like to come with me and Sakura-chan to the craft store?  We're going to pick up some supplies for our home economics projects."

_I haven't even started mine yet.  "Yeah, that sounds good.  I need to get a few things, too."  __More like everything.  What am I going to make?  She did really well with the cooking projects, but she just had no talent when it came to sewing.  __It's the one thing I can't do._

Tomoyo seemed to read her mind and gave her a little smile.  "I'm going to help Sakura-chan with her sewing tomorrow.  Do you want to come over, too?"

Meiling clasped her hands together and looked at her friend with round eyes.  "Can I?  That would be a huge help!  Thank you!"

Tomoyo laughed.  "We're meeting out front.  Are you ready?"

"Go ahead.  I'll be along in a minute."  She waited until Tomoyo had disappeared before spinning the combination for her locker.  She didn't want anyone around in case there was another envelope inside.  The lock clicked, and she opened the door.  Sure enough, a large envelope was sitting on top of her books.

This time, her name wasn't written across the front.  Instead, it simply said, "Open Me."  _Suddenly, I'm Meiling in Wonderland, she thought as she pulled the smaller envelope out.  __Will I grow bigger or smaller?  She unfolded the single sheet of white paper and read the brief message._

_"Dear Hope,  
You're a hit.  This calls for a celebration._

_Signed,_

_The One Who Knows"_

"Don't you think?"

Meiling jumped in surprise.  "Don't do that!  My heart almost stopped."

"Sorry," Tomori said with a sheepish grin.  "I thought you saw me."

"Last time I checked, I didn't have eyes in the back of my head," she retorted.  

"I'll remember that."  He gestured toward the letter still in her hand.  "So, how does it feel to be a celebrity?  Everyone was talking about your column today.  People I don't even know were asking me about it."

"Am I really that popular?"  She'd heard a lot of girls discussing it, but she still wanted to hear it from him.  His opinion was the one that mattered most if she wanted to keep writing.  And, she was never one to turn down a compliment, even if she had to fish for it.

"It looks that way.  I think we both deserve a hearty congratulations and a special treat for a job well done."  He pulled off his glasses and polished the lenses with his shirttail.  Anyone who knew him well would say it was a habit he fell into when he was nervous about something.  "So, what do you say?" he asked.

If there was a question in there, she missed it.  Meiling blinked and tilted her head.  "About what?"

He put his glasses back on and looked her straight in the eyes.  "Will you go out with me?"

~~-~~

Now, that was just evil of me.  ^.~  But seriously, didn't you all see it coming?  Thanks so much for reading!


	7. Someone Else

L-chan's notes:  How many years have gone by since I last posted?  I'm sorry, everybody.  This one just wasn't happening for me.  But now I'm going to finally introduce the long-awaited plot point, and hopefully that will give me a jump into writing the next chapter.    

Disclaimer:  See Chapter 6.

Take My Advice

Chapter 7—Someone Else

"She's what?"  Syaoran crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head vehemently.  "No way.  Absolutely not."

"Now, Syaoran-sama," Wei said calmly as he tried to placate the young master of the house, "it's only natural that a boy would find Meiling-sama lovely and charming and, therefore, wish to spend some time in her company."

Syaoran closed one brown eye and regarded his cousin as she stood behind Wei, all dressed up and ready to go out.  _Lovely and charming?  Are we talking about the same girl?  There had to be a way around this.  He didn't know why, but he hated the idea of Meiling going out with some guy.  __Maybe it's because she's so young, he thought, which didn't make sense, as they were the same age.  "What did her mother say?"  _

"She agreed with me that Meiling-sama is perfectly capable of deciding whether she's ready to date.  We're all very proud of the mature young lady she's become."

Meiling stuck her tongue out at Syaoran.

The boy sighed, knowing that he was about to lose this battle.  "So, who is it?"  _I need to know who to beat up later._

"Tomori Kioshi-kun," Meiling replied.

"Who?"

"From the paper.  Can I go now?  I'm going to be late."  

"Where are you going?"

She tapped her foot impatiently.  "The movies."  She was going to meet Tomori at the theater and then go for ice cream after.  It wasn't exactly what she'd always dreamed her first date would be, but she was still excited.  At least, she'd been trying all day to convince herself that she was.  "Is the interrogation over, or should I call my lawyer?"

"You can go.  What do I care?" Syaoran replied indifferently.  But when she was gone, he ran to the phone.  He quickly punched the numbers and listened to the ringing on the other end.

"Kinomoto residence," a man answered tersely.

Syaoran clapped his hand over his eyes and groaned silently.  _Why did it have to be him?  "Sakura, please," he requested with strained civility._

"Who is this?" the voice asked suspiciously.

If Syaoran could get his ofuda to transmit fire through the phone line, Touya would be a crispy critter.  "How many boys call your sister?" he retorted.  Then he wondered if he should be worried.  _How many boys do __call her?  _

"Anyway, she's not here."

"She's not?"

Touya sighed.  "That's what I said.  Are we done here?  Because I have better things to do."

"Where did she go?"

There was a clattering sound as Touya carelessly dropped the receiver onto the table.  "Plushie, phone!" Syaoran heard him yell.

A few seconds later, Kero picked up the line from Sakura's room.  "This better be important.  I'm right in the middle of—" There was some computer-generated screaming before the theme music to his video game started playing, signifying the end of his character's life.  "Stupid two-bit hedge wizard," he muttered.

"Where's Sakura?" Syaoran asked, wondering why he was still on the phone with these weirdoes. 

"Over at Tomoyo's."  Kero's words were punctuated with the sounds of his game restarting. 

_I knew that, Syaoran thought.  __She told me they were working on her sewing today.  How did I forget?  "Okay, thanks."_

"Hey, want to come over and play some Di—" The rest of Kero's question was cut off as Syaoran hung up the phone.

_Now what?  There had to be someone else he could call.  Yamazaki was probably with Mihara, and Ishida would still be in bed with the flu….  __Oh, no.  I can't.  But his fingers began dialing, pressing the buttons against his will._

"What can I do for you, Li-kun?" The smarmy voice answered before Syaoran could even identify himself.  But that wasn't necessary when you called _him._

He'd never hated himself or the other boy more than at this moment.  This was what desperation did to a person.  "Want to go to a movie, Hiiragizawa?"

*** 

Meiling arrived at the theater early.  She was more nervous than she was willing to admit, and she was beginning to wish she'd worn her hair down instead of pulling it into a bun.  Now she didn't have anything to twist around her fingers as she waited.  She started fiddling with the snap catch on her purse, clicking it open and closed in a restless rhythm.

She didn't know what to do on a date.  She didn't even know anything about Tomori outside of the newspaper.  They had always been in different classes.  _What are we going to talk about?  _

After their trip to the craft store yesterday, she'd asked Sakura and Tomoyo for advice.  The irony didn't escape her as she'd brought up her dilemma, her cheeks pink with embarrassment.  After they'd finished teasing her, saying that their little Meiling-chan was all grown up, they imparted the wisdom of their own limited dating experience.

_Ask him about himself, Sakura had advised.  __When you find something you have in common, you'll have something to talk about._

_Just be yourself, Tomoyo had told her.  __That's why he likes you._

_Oh, and compliment him, Sakura had added.  __Some guys like that.  _

Meiling went over these ideas in her head.  _Compliment myself.  Be common.  No, wait…_

"Been waiting long?" 

She spun around.  Tomori had approached from the opposite direction, so she didn't see him coming.  "You really need to stop doing that," she said.

"But it's so much fun."  He smiled at her, so she couldn't really get upset with him.  "That's a nice sweater," he said, making her remember her friends' advice.  _Compliment him.  Ask him about himself.  Find out what you have in common._

"Thanks.  I like your jacket."  _Well, this is the most riveting conversation ever.  "Where did you get it?"_

"Yazawa's."

_Bingo!  "Oh, that's a great store.  I go there all the time.  Are they having any good sales?"_

"I don't know.  I don't really like to shop."

_Bzzzt.  So much for that.  "My cousin doesn't like to shop, either.  I always have to drag him with me."  She didn't know why she brought up Syaoran.  She thought she was just trying to keep the conversation going.  Plus, she thought he'd look good in that jacket, only in green instead of red._

"Well, most guys don't like shopping," he said.  "We'd rather shave our heads than try on clothes.  So, what movie do you want to see?"

She blinked as she tried to assimilate the new topic.  "I hear _Losing the Game is good.  Have you seen it yet?"_

"Nope.  Let's get in line."

She tried not to be too obvious as she looked at him.  He was pretty cute, but she'd never really noticed before, probably because he got on her case all the time.  His straight black hair was slicked back, and his white t-shirt and black jeans were casual without being sloppy.  It was a little strange; she'd never seen him in anything but the school uniform before.  It was like he was out of context here.  Like he was a different person.  

"I hope the movie isn't too mushy for you," she said as they waited for tickets, "but I like that kind of thing.  What about you?"  She really didn't know anything about him.

"I'll watch just about anything, but I'm really into science fiction and fantasy the most.  You know, magic and all that crazy stuff."

"Yeah, crazy."  Syaoran liked going to those movies, too, but only to point out how unrealistic they were.  _That would never work, he'd say, or, __they're not using the right kind of crystal for that spell.  There she went, thinking about Syaoran again.  She was on her very first date with a perfectly nice boy, so why was she thinking about her cousin?_

They reached the front of the line, and after buying the tickets, Tomori turned to her with a grin.  "Do you like popcorn?"

"I love popcorn."  She gave him her brightest smile, determined to give him her full attention for the rest of the afternoon.

***   

"I certainly was surprised when you invited me out today.  Let's hope Sakura-san doesn't get jealous," Eriol joked as he and Syaoran stood in line for tickets.

The brown-haired boy wasn't listening as he concentrated his power on locating Meiling.  _For all I know I'm at the wrong theater, he thought.  Then his eyes went wide as he recognized her unique aura behind one of the doors.  __She's here.  _

"Can I help you?" the woman behind the ticket counter asked impatiently.

Syaoran hadn't realized that they'd already reached the window.  He had no idea what movie to ask for.  He just knew which theater Meiling was in.  "What's playing in theater three?"

The woman looked at him strangely.  People didn't usually choose a movie based on which theater it was in.  "_Losing the Game," she replied._

_Good, a sports movie.  He nodded.  "Two student tickets, please," he said distractedly.  He was so used to paying for either Sakura or Meiling that he bought Eriol's ticket without thinking.  "Come on," he said to his companion.  "It's already started."_

Eriol cozily looped an arm around Syaoran's shoulders.  "Now, Syao-chan, aren't you going to buy your date some popcorn?" he asked, his blue eyes twinkling with mischief.

"This isn't a date, you jackass," Syaoran scowled, shoving his ancestor away.  "Buy your own damn popcorn."

"Well, this is the last time I go out with you," Eriol huffed as he followed the other boy into the theater, popcornless.

The theater was dark, except for the flickering light of the film on the screen.  Syaoran could see two empty seats in the back row.  "Let's sit here," he said, getting shushed by several people nearby.  "Sorry," he muttered.

Eriol's toothy grin was visible in the darkness, just like the Cheshire Cat's.  "Feeling a bit naughty, are we?  I don't normally sit in the back on a first date, but, since it's you—"

"Will you shut the hell up?"  Syaoran was shushed again.  This was a bad, bad idea.  He didn't even know why he was here.  He sank down in the seat and propped his elbow on the armrest.  The movie was in the middle of a long scene between some guy and a crying girl, and then continued on to a scene between the crying girl and her friends, with no sign that sports were going to factor in any time soon.

He tried to convince himself that it was just boredom that made him look around the theater.  He stretched in his seat and craned his neck, hoping he wasn't being too obvious.  He recognized Meiling, not so much by sight as by intuition, several rows up and on the opposite aisle, and, sure enough, she was sitting next to a boy.  He still couldn't believe it.  He didn't even know this guy, but he suddenly wanted to hit him, and hard.

He'd only felt this way once before, when Eriol had first come to Tomoeda.  He remembered how Eriol had weaseled his way into their little group of four, trying to get close to Sakura.  Of course, the reason why was revealed later, but at the time, Syaoran couldn't even look at Eriol without wanting to do serious physical harm to his person.  Tomoyo had teased him about it endlessly until he realized that she was right—he was jealous, because he liked Sakura.

_But it's not the same.  It can't be the same._

He focused his attention back on the movie.  There was more crying as the girl and the guy broke up again.  He must have missed the part where they got back together.  _Hey, this isn't a sports movie.  It's some dopey love story._

The absurdity of what he was doing hit him.  He was spying on Meiling and her date, sitting next to Eriol and watching a chick flick.  Syaoran groaned and sank lower in his seat.  _What's wrong with me?_

Eriol had been observing his perplexed descendant with amusement.  He'd seen the mix of emotions that had crossed the other boy's face—curiosity, anger, confusion, realization, denial, and, finally, embarrassment.  It was more than enough for one day.  As entertaining as it was to see Syaoran suffer, even this was a bit much.  He leaned over and whispered, "I'm starving.  Let's go get some lunch.  My treat."

***

"What was that all about, Li-kun?" Eriol asked after several minutes of silent eating.

Syaoran kept his eyes down as he took a sip of his soda.  "I don't know what you mean."

"Well, let's see.  You call me up, buy my ticket for a romantic movie, and insist on sitting in the back of the theater.  So, other than the obvious, which we both know is preposterous, what's going on?"

"I really wanted to see the movie," Syaoran lied, and badly.  "Everyone else was busy."

"Uh huh."  The silence resumed as the two boys thoughtfully chewed their hamburgers, their minds occupied on things other than the savory flavor.  "You're afraid you're going to lose her, aren't you?" Eriol asked with rare seriousness.

"Who?"

"Exactly."  Syaoran's eyes narrowed in confusion, and Eriol decided he should elaborate.  "Once you figure that out, your problem will be solved."  Well, that was still annoyingly cryptic, but half the fun was watching his cute descendant muddle through his riddles.  He couldn't give everything away.

Syaoran dipped three french fries in the ketchup and popped them in his mouth.  "I have no idea what you're talking about."  But part of him did.  He knew he had a choice to make.  He just didn't know what that choice was, or what his decision would be.

"I know I'm not your favorite person on the planet," Eriol said, less serious than before, "and I wouldn't have it any other way.  I don't expect you to confide in me.  But there has to be someone you could ask for advice."

"What makes you think—"  But there was no point in denying it.  He didn't know how, but there it was.  Whatever Eriol knew or thought he knew, it was close enough to what had been bothering him lately.  And he needed to talk to someone about it.  _But it has to be someone I can trust completely.  Someone who can be absolutely objective.  And, most importantly, someone who won't blab._

When Syaoran returned to the apartment, alone, Meiling hadn't come back from her date, and Wei was out running errands.  It was just as well.  He needed some time to himself, to think and figure out this mess.

He fell onto his bed and stared up at the ceiling, folding his arms behind his head.  _When did all this start? he wondered.  Lately Sakura was always busy with her clubs or Tomoyo, leaving him with Meiling.  He should have missed his girlfriend, but instead he enjoyed the chance to spend more time with his cousin.  Until everything suddenly got confusing._

_Why is this happening now?  Why do I feel like I have to choose between them?  _

He didn't know how long he sat there.  No matter how much he thought about it, he still didn't know what he was going to do.

He sighed and went over to his desk to start on his homework.  When he opened his backpack, he came across the school newspaper.  It was folded back to the third page, which featured the activities calendar for the coming week.  He was about to pitch the paper into the trash when a headline caught his eye.

"Everyone Needs Hope."

Eriol's words came back to him.  _There has to be someone you could ask for advice.  _

_No way.  That's got to be the dumbest idea ever.  Only girls write to advice columns.  But even as he was thinking all this, he knew that he didn't really have any other options.  So he sat down at his computer and began to type._

"Dear Hope…."      

~~-~~

Sorry for the delay in updating.  I knew where this chapter was going to go, and even started writing it when I was still working on Chapter 6, but then I kind of lost interest in it while I worked on "Shadows".  I'll try not to take so long next time.  Thanks for your patience.


	8. Dear Hope

L-chan's notes:  I don't know how many more chapters there are going to be, but we're definitely past the halfway mark at this point.  It probably doesn't seem like this story is a priority of mine lately, and, well, that's true.  I really appreciate the interest all of you have shown in this, and I will do my best not to disappoint you.  I hope you can be patient with me while I try to get back into this.  Thanks and big hugs to everyone!  

Disclaimer:  See Chapter 7.

Take My Advice

Chapter 8—Dear Hope

"That's it for today.  Remember, our next meeting is on Thursday instead of Friday."

Most of the students left the newspaper office after Tomori's dismissal, but Meiling stayed behind.  She hung back while he talked to the other writers and answered their questions before confronting him with her problem.

"Why are you doing this to me?" she whispered loudly.  

He motioned her over to his desk.  "In case you haven't noticed, the flu is going around, and we're short-staffed," he said quietly.  He sat down and steepled his fingers under his chin.  "I know you've got the column to worry about, but I really need your help."

Tomori did look a bit harried.  She was immediately contrite.  "Of course.  I'll do whatever you need."

He gave her a little smile.  "Thanks.  So, the soccer game tomorrow afternoon.  Try to talk to a couple of the players and the coach afterward, if you can.  Especially if they win.  It's always easier to write a sports piece when the team wins.  They've been having a pretty good season, so it shouldn't be a problem."

Meiling nodded.  "I can do that.  Anything else?"

He cast a quick glance around the room to make sure no one was listening.  "Just get it and _the other to me by Wednesday.  Unfortunately, since there's no school this Saturday, we've got a shorter schedule to work with.  And you still have to be here Friday morning to get the papers out.  Don't forget."_

She scribbled everything down on her calendar.  "How am I going to get all this done?" she mumbled to herself.  She would probably go to the soccer game anyway, to see Syaoran play, but to have to write an article on top of her column, plus homework and fun... _I guess no fun this week.  Either that or no homework.  Hmm, I wonder if I could get away with that._

"You'll be fine."

She'd forgotten how good his ears were.  "Sorry.  But you know me, I always have to complain."

"You wouldn't be you if you didn't," Tomori joked.

There he went again.  Sometimes he acted like he liked her, and other times she wasn't sure.  _What are you supposed to do after a date?  Do you talk about it?  Do you wait for him to bring it up?  He hadn't yet, and she wondered if that was a bad sign.  "By the way, I had a really nice time with you yesterday," she said.  __Did I remember to say that yesterday?  I thought I did, but maybe not._

"I'm glad.  I had a nice time, too."  He said it glibly, but his voice had a defeated tone to it.

Meiling frowned, her nose wrinkling in confusion.  "Something wrong?"

"No, it's okay," he said, absentmindedly tucking his hair behind his ear.  "I just got that definite 'friend' vibe from you, and that's good enough.  Thanks for giving me a chance."  He pushed his glasses up, back in business mode.  "So, get everything to me by Wednesday night, okay?  Email is fine, but I need it Wednesday."

"Say it fifty more times, and I might remember it," she muttered sarcastically, but she grinned at him, and he smiled back before waving her away impatiently so he could get to work.  

Meiling made a last stop by her locker to pick up her books and the ever-present envelope of letters for Hope before heading home.  She hated walking home alone when something was weighing on her mind.  There wasn't even any traffic or stray cats to provide a suitable distraction.  All she had was time to think.

_He's right.  I never even gave him a chance as anything more than a friend.  Despite her decision to focus all of her attention on Tomori during their date, her thoughts had kept going back to Syaoran.  Something would remind her of him, or she'd almost start to talk about him when she realized what she was doing.  And worst of all, she kept comparing them.  Either Tomori was like Syaoran for this reason, or he wasn't like Syaoran for that reason.  It just added up to the fact that... he wasn't Syaoran._

_Why did I do that?  Tomori-kun is nice, and smart, and he likes me.  He'd probably make a good boyfriend._

_But not for me._

_No, I had to go and like someone else's boyfriend._

And, even worse, he was her friend's boyfriend.

There was no point in denying it now.  She felt horrible about it, too.  And she continued feeling horrible as she went upstairs to the apartment.  

"I'm home," Meiling called, kicking off her shoes and retrieving her red slippers.  She neatly lined her school shoes up next to Syaoran's sneakers, wishing that he hadn't beaten her home.  _At least there's only one pair of shoes here.  I won't have to see Kinomoto-san.  "Syaoran?"_

"In here," he yelled back.

She found him in his room, already working on the algebra assignment.  _How does he do it?  The last thing I want to do when I get home from school is more schoolwork.  It was one of the many things she admired about him.  He was so disciplined, the combined result of his lifetime of training and something that was just born in him, that determined drive to excel.  She supposed she had it, too, that inherent Li ambition, but it got lost somewhere between her more vital need for sleep and her unquenchable desire for fun.  She sometimes wondered if her lack of magic had anything to do with that.  __But I wasn't that way when I was younger.  Maybe being away from home has taken some of the pressure off.  I can just be a normal teenage girl.  Nothing is expected of me here._

"Hey," Syaoran said, barely looking up.  "Want to study together?"

She realized she'd just been standing there staring at him while those random thoughts ran through her brain.  "Okay.  Let me get out of my uniform and grab a snack."

When he heard her bedroom door close, he wished he hadn't suggested it.  Once again, he'd spent last night in his room, avoiding her after his bizarre realization at the movie theater.  But the words had come out automatically, as if everything were perfectly normal.   It was a habit for them to study together if he wasn't with Sakura, whom he also was still avoiding, and who seemed to be avoiding him as well, but he was sure that was just in his imagination.  _I'm being paranoid.  Guilty people are always paranoid._

Meiling came back in a pink t-shirt and denim shorts, her long black hair hanging in a braid down her back.  She held her biology and math books with two yellow pencils and an apple precariously balanced on top.  "Since you've already started, I guess we should get the algebra out of the way first," she suggested, stretching out on his bed and opening the text to the correct page.

"Not to mention that you hate it," Syaoran added.

"I hate all of it," she muttered.  "We're never going to use this stuff."

"You keep saying that, but one day, you'll be glad you learned quadratic equations."

"Oh, yeah, because it comes up all the time. 'And now, coming down the home stretch,'" she deadpanned in a deep announcer's voice, "'it's Li Meiling, on track to post a new marathon record.  But first, she must solve this quadratic equation!  Oh, too bad, Li-san.  Maybe you should have listened to your cousin after all.'"

"Exactly." he said with a brief nod.  She stuck her tongue out at him.  She seemed to be doing that a lot lately.  "Fine.  I'll help you."  He grabbed his notebook and pencil and joined her on the bed, propping himself up on his elbows.  "I've finished the first six problems," he told her, pointing to the textbook's open page.  "So, do half of them, and we'll see if you're getting it."

She kicked her legs back and forth and hummed off-key as she worked out the problems.  She needed to distract herself, because with him sitting there next to her, she felt like she was betraying her friend.  _Well, if that isn't the most ridiculous thing ever, she thought with a mental roll of the eyes.  __We're just sitting here doing homework, like we've done for years.  But why does it feel like I'm doing something wrong?   _

He should have insisted that they work in the dining room, which would have been more comfortable and less comfortable at the same time.  But it really couldn't get any more uncomfortable than this.  He started thinking about that stupid letter he wrote.  He'd dropped it in the newspaper office's mail slot when he first got to school, and as soon as that white sheet of paper disappeared from his sight, he wanted it back.  _Damn Hiiragizawa for putting these ideas in my head in the first place.  Well, it was easier than blaming himself for this mess.  _

If Meiling thought sitting with Syaoran to do their assignments was awkward, it just got more difficult.  When they finished their homework, it was time for dinner, and they sat at the table in a strained silence.  _Why is this so weird? she wondered.  Syaoran never was overly talkative at dinner, because their family believed too much talking during meals was bad for digestion, not that Meiling really ever understood why.  But every once in a while she'd catch him looking at her strangely, and she was afraid that he could somehow read her thoughts.  Maybe he could.  Maybe he had this secret power that he'd never told anyone about.  __That must be it!   _

After dinner, Meiling sought a distraction from the distraction caused by Syaoran's very presence, and since he was engrossed in some insanely boring history documentary on television, she decided to start working on her letters.  If she was going to have to write about the soccer match tomorrow, then tonight she needed to get as much done on her column as she could.  

Her first column must have gone over really well, because today she received four more letters.  With pencil in hand, she read each letter, jotting down quick, pithy answers to the typical teenage concerns.  _"My mother won't let me wear make-up."  "My best friend is mad at me for no reason."  "Why didn't that boy call when he said he would?"  Maybe this wouldn't be so hard after all.  She was feeling pretty good about the way her column was shaping up.  And then she read the last letter._

_"Dear Hope,_

_I've had a girlfriend for a while now, but lately I find myself thinking about someone else.  I don't know why this is happening, but I think I might really like this other girl.  I don't want to hurt either of them, because they have both been my friends for such a long time.  What do you think I should do?_

_Signed,_

_Confused"  _

She'd been afraid of this.  Most of the letters she'd received had contained silly problems.  Okay, so they weren't silly to the people who wrote them, but at least they were simple and straightforward.  But this one was different.  She had to be extra careful with her answer.  Some guy might break up with his girlfriend over her.  _Well, not over me, Meiling corrected herself, __but over something I say.  _

She needed more information, but no matter how many times she read the letter, it just wasn't there.  It was typed on a plain sheet of white computer paper, and it didn't even have an envelope.  It had just been folded in thirds and stapled together, and "Hope" was again typed on the back.  If she could figure out who it was from, she'd at least have a starting point for getting more details.  But there just weren't any clues.  It was as if whoever wrote it made sure that the letter was vague and untraceable.

The letter reminded her of her own dilemma.  She had two good friends, and now she found herself interested in one of them, and she didn't know what to do about it.  And, what was more, she didn't want to hurt them.  But she couldn't ignore her feelings, either.  _But I have to, don't I?  _

Meiling read the signature again.  _'Confused.'  Yep, that's me, all right.  We're badgers in the same hole.  She laughed a little as a funny idea struck her.  __Maybe he and I should just get together.  That would solve everyone's problem._

Her pencil was busy drawing doodles as she tried to come up with a serious solution for Confused.  _I have no idea what to say to this guy.  Maybe I don't have to answer it.  Maybe it wouldn't get printed anyway.  But she knew she had to do that, too.  That was the responsibility she took on as Hope.  To help people._

But who helps Hope?

~~-~~

And that will be the issue surrounding the next chapter.  I really did enjoy writing this story for a long time, but I just got more interested in my other one, and this one suffered because of it.  Now I'm afraid that they're starting to sound alike ^.^;  But I hope you liked this part, and, as always, thanks for reading!


	9. Who Helps Hope?

L-chan's notes:  I'm still trying to resuscitate my creativity for this story, and I _will finish it, but I make no promises on when the next update will be.  Just know that it _will_ eventually be updated again.  Thanks for reading!  _

Disclaimer:  See Chapter 8.

Take My Advice

Chapter 9—Who Helps Hope?

_Finally_, Meiling thought as she headed for her locker.  _Why does time move more slowly at school than anywhere else?  But if the world were ending, I guess I'd want to be at school when it happened, because each remaining second would feel like an eternity._

Another school week was over with, and not a moment too soon.  She'd been incredibly busy, but was determined to do her best and get everything done.  She even found time to squeeze in a little fun between homework and her responsibilities for the newspaper.  The soccer article was written with enough excitement and energy in her words to make those who had missed Saito's big win wish that they'd seen the game.  She answered every single letter written to Hope, all fifteen of them, and emailed them to Tomori for him to choose the best ones for the column.  And her column was again well-received, at least as far as she could tell from listening to the girls discussing it during recess.  She'd tried to feel proud of the work she'd done, but she was definitely in low spirits.

If anyone had noticed that Meiling was not her usual outgoing, boisterous self, they didn't say anything.  She kept quiet most of the day, just not feeling in the mood to joke around as she usually would.  She'd convinced herself that she was just exhausted, but there was more to it than that.  The real reason for her reticence was tucked away in the back of her mind where she wouldn't have to think about it.

She opened her locker, expecting to find another manila envelope containing Hope's letters, but there was just a single white envelope resting on top of her books.  It had her name written on it instead of Hope's, so she went ahead and pulled the letter out of the envelope, in case it was important.  Actually, important or not, her curiosity simply got the better of her.  Maybe it was a party invitation, or even a love letter from a secret admirer.  _Well, a girl can dream, right?_  

Her mouth dropped open as she read the message.  And then she read it again, just to be sure her mind wasn't playing tricks on her.

_"Dear Hope,_

_Yes, I've figured you out, Meiling-san.  But don't worry; I won't tell anyone your little secret.  I think we should have a talk.  Don't you?  I'll be waiting for you at the park, by the swings.  I know how you like the swings._

_With love from,_

_Your Favorite Ancestor"         _

_What?  How?_  She couldn't seem to form a thought of more than one word.  _Why?_

If she ignored the letter, then maybe he'd think he was wrong.  No one was supposed to know who she was, after all.  _But if he knows, then who else does?  Surely someone would have said something if she'd been found out.  No, he was the only one, and he had a reason for letting her know that he knew._

_So, what does he want?_  He couldn't need advice.  He already knew everything, or so he liked to boast.  And he probably wouldn't seek her help anyway.  Maybe he was going to tell her to give up writing for the paper, that she didn't have any talent for helping people, or for writing, for that matter.  Or maybe, he _did want something from her, something unspeakable, and was going to blackmail her.  __Okay, that's it.  I've officially seen too many bad movies.  _

Meiling shoved the letter into her bag and decided to head home.  It was only when she was halfway to the park that she realized where she was going.

Eriol was waiting for her, just as he'd said he would be.  He was sitting on one of the swings with his eyes closed, as if he were deep in thought.  A mysterious little half-smile appeared on his lips as he sensed her approach.  "It's nice to see you, Meiling-san," he joked.  Then he looked up at her with those knowing blue eyes, and she wondered if it had been wise to show up after all.

"You see me all the time," she responded, a little defensive.  She pulled his note out of her bag and waved it carelessly.  "But is there a specific reason that it's nice to see me now?"

"That's a very good question," he replied, still with that enigmatic gaze.  "Please have a seat."  He gestured to the swing next to him, and after squinting at him suspiciously, she sat.  He let her sit there for a few moments, and she fidgeted a bit as the silence got to her.  He tried not to grin.  She wasn't going to say anything until he revealed his reason for asking her to come.  _Smart girl.  Magic or no, she's definitely got Clow Reed's blood in her_, he thought proudly.  "I read Hope's column today."

"Lots of people did."

Now he did grin.  He liked her spunk.  "Of course.  It's quite the popular feature.  But, you know, I was really impressed by your answer to this boy confused about his sudden interest in someone other than his girlfriend."

She looked at him askance before twisting in her swing.  If he was going somewhere with this, his point eluded her.  _I know he didn't write that letter.  So what's he getting at?_

"Do you need me to refresh your memory?" he asked with a trace of teasing in his tone, but before she could answer, he began reading aloud from the newspaper in his hand.

_"Dear Confused,_

_Imagine for a second that this other girl doesn't exist.  Would you still want to be with your girlfriend?  Maybe things haven't been very exciting lately, and that's why your attention is wandering.  Or maybe the two of you have a problem you're avoiding, and you're looking for an excuse not to deal with it._

_Now, imagine that your girlfriend doesn't exist.  Would you still be interested in this other girl?  Is she someone you could have a real relationship with, or is it just a little crush?  Do you think she would return your feelings?_

_Please think about this before you go making any drastic decisions.  I don't know if all of you will be able to stay friends after this, but I hope things turn out for the best."_

Eriol grinned again as he set the paper down.  "That's some very wise advice you gave.  I don't imagine that there's a problem you can't solve."

Meiling shrugged modestly as she looked down at her shoes.  How was it that she had an answer to everyone's problems but her own?  Hope was everyone's confidante, but Hope had no one to go to.  _Except, maybe_.... She couldn't believe she was even considering such a thing.  There was no way she could tell Eriol about her feelings for Syaoran.  He'd either think it was incredibly funny, or he'd tell her not to be so stupid and to get over it, because Syaoran and Sakura belonged together.  They were, after all, the perfect couple.  That's what everyone had said about them since the sixth grade.  _How am I supposed to compete with perfection?   _

Eriol watched for some sort of reaction from Meiling.  He knew the meaning of that particular letter, and wanted to see if she understood it, too.  She seemed uncomfortable, her feet slowly dragging across the dirt as she twisted sideways in the swing, lost in thought.  He'd never known her to be so silent before.  Everything he'd suspected for the past several weeks must be true.  Either that, or he was way, way off.  And if that was the case, then he had bigger problems than concerning himself with the love lives of his adorable descendants.  _Only one way to find out._  "Well, I just wanted to say keep up the good work.  I'll see you later."

"Wait," Meiling said when he stood up.  Eriol promptly sat back down on his swing and waited for her to continue.  "How did you know it was me?"  That wasn't what she meant to ask, but it sounded better than anything else she was thinking.  And it kept him here while she tried to figure out if she wanted to say more.

He should have expected that.  "You have a very distinct... writing style," he improvised, not letting on that he'd also drawn on his more unusual talents to suss her out.  "Besides, your answers just sounded like you—straightforward, intelligent, and sincere.  You're a very bright and thoughtful girl, and I know you're helping people."  He'd slipped into his serious voice again, the persona that made her feel like she really was speaking to her wise ancestor and not her annoyingly smug friend.

"Maybe," she said softly.  _But I'll never know, will I?  I'll never know who wrote those letters and whether anything I said helped them or not_.

_It's like pulling teeth with these two_, Eriol thought.  _Do they even know how alike they are?_  He had to maneuver this conversation back around to the point he'd wanted to make.  "I'm sure Li-kun would be proud of you as well.  If he knew, that is."

"Maybe," she said again.  What _would_ Syaoran think if he knew she was behind the column?  _Dummy.  He probably wouldn't even care.  He's not the type to read an advice column for people with relationship problems.  He'd say "That's nice, Meiling," and that would pretty much be the end of it._

Eriol sat silently and watched as his seemingly innocuous comments sunk in.

When Meiling raised her eyes to his, she didn't see him.  Not as Eriol, anyway.  He was more than his appearance let on, and it was easy to forget that.  If she needed advice from someone older and more experienced in the ways of the world, then she could do much worse than her ancestor's current incarnation.  "Did you know...." she began hesitantly.  "Did you know that I actually proposed to Syaoran when we were kids?"

That was an odd way to respond, but Eriol didn't say anything.  It was best to just let her talk.

"I'll bet he doesn't even remember," Meiling mused with a self-conscious little smile.  "It was... almost ten years ago now.  Time sure flies, doesn't it?"

_Don't get off track_.  Eriol knew Meiling wouldn't be able to hear his thoughts, of course, but he was just used to dealing with people who could.  He didn't even realize he was trying to communicate with her.  It was just a habit.

"I guess it was a pretty silly thing," she continued, laughing at herself a bit.  "I didn't even know any other boys back then, really, and, well, we were always together.  I guess I thought we'd always be together.  It's something I've always taken for granted."

Eriol couldn't let on anything that he knew, from either the past or the future.  But fate was fate, and the inevitable would come to pass, even if he had to push it along.

"It was only recently that I started to get scared."  Meiling wasn't even aware of what she was saying.  The words just tumbled out in her artless, clumsy teenage way.  "One day, he won't be around anymore.  We've been together our whole lives, but he's eventually going to leave me."

Eriol kept his expression neutral.  "Why do you say that?" he asked when she paused for too long.  He shouldn't have spoken, but he needed her to realize where her thoughts were leading.

She shook her head, her raven ponytail swishing from side to side.  "Because he has Kinomoto-san now.  For a long time, I had him all to myself.  But now I've had to share him, and it's so hard."  She'd never thought about any of this, not in these terms, but as she said the words, everything started making sense.  "I like Kinomoto-san; I really do.  She's a good friend.  But, somehow, that just makes it worse."

"Why?" Eriol asked quietly.  She was so close.  She just needed to take that next step.

"Because now I'll never know," she answered.  "I'll never know if what I'm feeling is real, or if he could ever feel the same way.  She got him first."

Her ancestor tried not to be amused, but an indulgent smile did play at his lips.  _Fifteen years old, and it's all over, he thought.  __So much life left for all of us, and we're trying to rush through it.  When things don't go right, we assume they never will.  If it hadn't been for Kaho, he probably would have felt the same way.  He'd already lived one lifetime, and she'd had to convince him that this life was different, to slow down and enjoy it rather than race to adulthood again.  She was willing to wait.  And he'd learned to wait, too.  __Teenagers are just so damn impatient.  In spite of his unusual circumstances, he still had to include himself in that group._

But now he knew that he'd been right about her.  Meiling had accepted that she didn't want to lose Syaoran, even if she didn't know yet how deeply her feelings ran.  There would be time enough for that later.

"Things have a way of working themselves out," he said to her now.  "If something is meant to be, then it will be."

Meiling's nose wrinkled, and she tilted her head as she considered his cryptic words.  "What does _that_ mean?"

Eriol laughed and pushed his feet against the ground, making his swing sway a bit.  "It means, that you can either tell our darling relative how you feel, or don't.  It won't change anything.  You have to find your own path, and he has to find his.  Maybe it's the same one, and maybe it isn't."

"It won't change anything?"  _This isn't helping at all,_ she thought.  But she was wrong.  Just talking about what she'd been feeling lately had helped.  She still didn't know what do to, of course.

"You can't change people.  You can try, but you won't succeed, not where it really counts.  Ultimately, his life is his decision, and your life is your decision.  So, what you have to figure out is what you want, and once you know that, then you'll know what to do."

_What do I want?  I want...._  She was afraid to let herself even think it.  _I want... to know if there could ever be anything more between us.  I think there could be, and I think I want it.  But why am I just figuring this out now?  I'm too late._

Syaoran already had Sakura.  So what was Meiling supposed to do?  If she said something, it could ruin her friendship with both of them.  But if she didn't say anything, would she lose him for good?  Either way, then, she might lose him.  Which would be worse?  At least if she said something, she'd get an answer from him.  Would that be better than never knowing? 

"Remember, you don't have to make any drastic decisions today," Eriol said, repeating her advice to Confused.  "Take your time and think things over.  I think if you have patience, the answer will become clear."

He was right.  The best thing to do would be to wait.  And she was terrible at waiting.

~~-~~

Unfortunately this story has suffered while I've concentrated on my other WIPs (so feel free to check them out, too LOL).  But I'm glad everyone's been enjoying this, and I truly appreciate all the reviews.  Thanks!


	10. Dear Confused

L-chan's notes:  Shocked to see this updated?  Yeah, me too.  I'm really sorry it sat unloved for so long.  

Disclaimer:  See Chapter 9.

Take My Advice

Chapter 10—Dear Confused

Syaoran read the words again, even though he'd memorized them.  It had been a week since "Hope" answered his ridiculous letter, and he still didn't know what to do.

_It was a stupid idea in the first place_, he thought, cursing his ancestor for planting that bug in his ear.  _She obviously has no idea what she's talking about.  I could have gotten better advice from an American fortune cookie_.

He sighed and returned the newspaper clipping to his backpack, tucking it inside one of the pockets where it would be safely hidden.  He didn't know why he was keeping it.  It only reminded him of a problem he wasn't really even sure he had.  _Damn Hiiragizawa_.  Any chance to blame things on the blue-eyed sorcerer.

The wind blew past with a chilly gust, unusual for this time of year, and Syaoran pushed his unruly brown hair out of his eyes.  He kicked at a pebble on the sidewalk and leaned against the brick wall of the school, waiting for Sakura to finish her cheerleading practice.

That was the root of his imaginary problem.  They hadn't been spending any time together lately.  If they did, then he'd remember why'd he'd come to care for the cheerful girl with the sparkling green eyes.  The girl who could make his heart lighter with just the lilting sound of her laughter.  The girl who could make him smile with a sarcastic quip and a haughty toss of her long black hair.

_Damn_.  How did Meiling's image impose itself over Sakura's?

He'd just been living with his cousin for too long.  _But doesn't familiarity breed contempt?  Or is that contentment?  No, it's absence makes the heart grow fonder_.  That didn't seem to fit either.  _Let's see.  A bird in the hand—_  

"Waiting for me?"

Syaoran was abruptly pulled from his meandering thoughts by the wry voice of his second least favorite person.  "Hardly," he shot back, assuming his best scowl.

Eriol shrugged.  "Well, maybe someday," he said with a feigned sigh of wistfulness.  "I'm headed for the arcade.  Want to come?"

"No," Syaoran answered rudely.  Then he caught himself and realized he didn't need to be so surly.  Besides, it only seemed to encourage his nemesis.  "No, thank you," he amended, but still glaring a bit.  "Sakura should be done with cheerleading club any time now, and we'll probably do something together."

"Ah," the other boy said with a knowing nod.  "That sounds promising."

"So, don't let me keep you," Syaoran continued.  The strain of being polite was already wearing on him.

Eriol's eyes twinkled behind his round glasses.  "I always have time for my favorite descendant," he teased.  "But don't tell your darling cousin I said that.  She thinks _she's_ my favorite."

"And why is that?" Syaoran asked, prolonging this conversation that he hadn't wanted to start.  The mention of Meiling had aroused his curiosity.  Had Meiling and Eriol been getting close?  That didn't make much sense.  Eriol was still with Kaho, as far as Syaoran knew, and Meiling had always kept a careful distance from Eriol.  She didn't quite trust him, which only made Syaoran like her more.

"I've always had a weakness for the feisty ones," Eriol answered.  "You two are alike that way.  But I'm sure you knew that already."  He checked his watch for no apparent reason and hefted his backpack over his shoulder.  "Well, I'll leave you to it.  Good luck."

_Good luck?_  "What does that mean?" Syaoran asked, making the other boy stop and turn around again.

"It means whatever you want it to mean," Eriol replied enigmatically.  He gave his descendant a mocking salute and a sardonic grin.  "See you on the other side."

Syaoran was left to wonder what in the world had gotten into his obnoxious ancestor.  Nothing he said ever made any sense.  It was as if Eriol just strung words together without rhyme or reason, plucking them from the air and weaving them into something that sounded like a sentence, but only if one didn't pay very close attention.  _If he's trying to tell me something, why can't he just say what it is?_

"Been waiting long?"

This time it was Sakura's cheerful voice that greeted him, and he turned his attention to the honey-haired girl as she approached.  "Not really," he answered in his usual brusque manner.

"That's good."  She studied his blank expression carefully, perhaps wondering why after five years she was no closer to figuring him out.  "So, are we going to your place?"

Meiling was probably already there.  He didn't think he could handle being around both of them right now.  "Not today," he answered vaguely.  

"Okay.  Want to go to my house?"

"Is your brother home?"

Sakura considered that possibility.  "Probably," she decided.

"No, thanks."  

"Then where should we go?  I mean, we usually—"

"I know 'we usually,'" Syaoran interrupted.  "The choices are always the same."  Before Sakura could reply, he started walking, the uncertainty of the destination not stopping him.  She was left to follow in confusion.

"Is something wrong?" she asked.

He sighed and shook his head.  He didn't know why he was trying to ruin their afternoon with his surly mood.  And he didn't know why he was taking it out on her.  She hadn't done anything.  Maybe that was part of the problem.

"Syaoran-kun...."

"It's nothing," he said, waving away her concern.  "Let's go get some ice cream or something."  His tone made the suggestion sound as pleasant as a trip to the dentist.

"We don't have to."

"Yes, we do."  He reached into his pocket and counted out his change.  "Yeah, I've got enough.  Let's go."

They took their ice cream to the park and found a bench near the pond.  The afternoon breeze rippled across the water's smooth surface, disrupting its generally calm state.  A pair of birds flew by, squawking to each other in an argument only they could understand.  Other than that, and the occasional rustling of the ice cream wrappers, it was uncomfortably silent.

There couldn't be anything worse than the scenarios playing out in his head.  The dread of letting it go for too long.  The oppressive silence bearing down on him like the weight of the world.  "What are we doing?" Syaoran finally asked.

"Besides the obvious?" Sakura answered, but he wasn't in a joking mood.  "I don't know.  What are we doing?" she repeated hesitantly.

"How do you feel about me?" he asked.  "I mean really.  Seriously."

She looked away.  "I don't know what you're getting at."

It wasn't the answer he was looking for.  It wasn't an answer at all.  "Why are we together?" he tried.

"Because we love each other."

He knew that was true.  He did love her.  But not in the way he'd always thought.  "And why else?"

She still wasn't looking at him, and she blinked quickly, maybe trying to force back tears.  "Well, back when we were capturing the cards—"

Syaoran stopped her there.  "The cards," he said with emphasis.  "The cards brought us together."

Sakura nodded and stared down at her feet.  "That's how it was supposed to be."

_Is it?_  He remembered Eriol's comments after Sakura had finished changing the cards.  Eriol had said that he'd misinterpreted how Yue and Sakura would feel about each other.  He hadn't been able to predict how their hearts would choose.  _So was she supposed to choose me?  Over Yue?  Over anyone?_  It didn't make any sense.  _And I wasn't a part of that prediction at all._  The Li family had sent him here to get the cards, but he'd failed.

And Meiling had followed him here.  If he hadn't come to Tomoeda, Meiling wouldn't have, either.  They wouldn't have lived together for the past five years, fighting and teasing and confiding and getting on each other's nerves.  They still would have been cousins and friends, but they never would have had a closer, deeper relationship like the one they had now.

Syaoran couldn't explain this to Sakura.  If everything played out the way it was supposed to, then he was supposed to come here and to lose the cards to her.  He was supposed to help her, and he was supposed to be her friend.  But maybe there was never meant to be anything more than that between them.

"So, other than the cards, what is there?"

"What are you saying, Syaoran?"

He flinched at her pointed use of his name.  There was a time when it made him flush pink from the tips of his ears to the bottom of his feet.  Now he wished she wouldn't say it at all.  Or look at him with her green eyes shimmering with apprehension.

"I don't know.  Just forget it."  He wanted to kick himself, or run himself through with his sword.  She didn't deserve this.  Was it her fault that his feelings had changed?

Because now he knew for certain that they had.  He wasn't avoiding this talk because he secretly wanted to stay with her.  He was avoiding it because he didn't want to hurt her.  But it was too late.  When he dared to look at her with a peripheral glance, he saw it written all over her face.  She knew.

People called her oblivious.  People teased her about it.  But she knew.  She'd learned long ago that by feigning naiveté, she could discover much more than anyone might have told her otherwise.  She could be keenly observant and sensitive.  Maybe things like sarcasm and algebraic equations didn't sort themselves out in her mind, but anything dealing with magic or emotions was as clear to her as the midnight sky.

"Do you want to... break up?" she asked, her voice trembling ever so slightly as she dared him to look at her.

"I don't know," he said again.  

He couldn't pretend with her.  It was only because of all the time they'd spent apart lately that she hadn't figured it out sooner.  "I don't believe you, Li Syaoran," she said shakily.

There was nothing for him to say to that.  _She shouldn't believe me._  He knew he should apologize, but the words were trapped somewhere between his brain and his mouth.  His lungs wouldn't give them breath for force, and his lips wouldn't give them shape for sound.

"Why?" she asked.  "What did I do?"

"You didn't do anything," he reassured her quickly.  "I just think...."  Why were the words coming now?  Why _these_ words, excuses instead of regrets?  "We're drifting apart.  It's better to realize that now instead of later."  Even he knew that was a line of nonsense.

"Is this because of Tomoyo-chan?"

"No.  What?"  He had no idea why Daidouji's name had a place in this conversation.

She seemed to misunderstand her own reasoning behind that question.  "Is there someone else?"

He couldn't answer her.  He wouldn't.

And that _was_ her answer.  She stood up to go.

"Wait, Sakura...."  He tried to reach out to her, but she jerked away harshly.

"Don't.  Don't touch me.  Don't talk to me.  Don't...."  She shook her head and ran away before he could offer any more lame excuses.

_I was wrong.  This was much worse than doing nothing._

***

Meiling glanced again at the empty space across the dinner table.  Syaoran should have been home long before now.  He hadn't called to say he'd be late, and she knew his soccer team was only having a brief meeting after school.  _He must be with Kinomoto-san,_ she realized, pushing the last bit of broccoli around her plate as Wei stood by, watching her.  _And he is.  You know that._

"If you're finished, Meiling-sama," Wei said, pulling her from her thoughts.

"No, Syaoran's not here yet," she said childishly.  She didn't want to get up from the table before he'd eaten.  Even though his plate remained just as empty as his chair, and the pitiful remaining sprigs of broccoli in front of her were cold and limp.  She'd never liked broccoli, and Wei knew that.  He usually made her eat it anyway.  But tonight, he hadn't insisted.  It was his subtle, formal way of comforting her in her time of melancholy.

Meiling sighed and pushed her chair back.  "I changed my mind.  I'm finished.  Thank you."  She had homework and two new letters to Hope waiting in her room, ready to provide a much needed distraction.

She was helping Wei carry dishes to the kitchen when the apartment door opened.  There was a scuffling sound as Syaoran removed his shoes, but he didn't call out to announce his arrival.  The two of them exchanged a curious glance before meeting him in the hallway.

"Syaoran-sama, wel—"  Wei's words died immediately upon seeing the disheartened expression on the young master's face.

Meiling wasn't as willing to remain silent.  "You're late for dinner.  Where were you?"

"Not now, Meiling."

"But, Syaoran—"

"Not _now_, Meiling."  He went to his room and slammed the door behind him.

She recoiled visibly, only realizing her reaction when she felt Wei's hand come to rest on her shoulder.  "Give him time," the old man said sympathetically.

Meiling looked up at him, questions forming in her ruby eyes.  "How do you know—?"

"Believe it or not, I was your age once.  And I know that when a teenage boy wants to be left alone, it is best to respect that wish."

"He's not mad at me, is he?"  She hadn't even spoken to Syaoran since breakfast, and nothing she'd said then was bad enough to put him in a mood.

"Probably just a bad day.  It happens."

"He missed dinner," she said stupidly, still focusing on that one mundane detail.  She refused to consider anything more complicated right now.

"I'll make him eat something later.  For now, I believe you have a history assignment that requires your attention."

If he was aware of the extent of the problems the two young people were suffering, he didn't let on.  But Meiling was grateful for whatever insight he had.  Wei was the closest thing she had to a parent here in Japan, caretaker and disciplinarian and adviser, and while growing up under his tutelage, she'd never thought of him as a family employee.  Just family.  "Thanks," she said, offering him a small smile.

"For reminding you of your homework?"

"For reminding me that I have plenty of other things to worry about without borrowing more."

"Well, that's life for you, isn't it?" he mused.  "Fortunately, life's worries can sometimes be interrupted by more important things.  Chocolate cake, for instance."

Meiling brightened a bit more.  "There's chocolate cake?"

"For those of us who have fulfilled our day's responsibilities, yes."

Was there a moral in there somewhere?  About being rewarded for doing the right thing?  Or was it simply an incentive to get her work done?  Either way, she appreciated the message.  Maybe that would help her practice patience.  At the very least, it gave her something to look forward to.  And she could certainly use that right now.

~~-~~

We're nearly to the end.  But I don't know when I'll have the next chapter up.  Keep an eye out, because I'm _not _abandoning this story until it's done.  Thanks so much for reading.


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